The D.S.9 Experience
by Darkone13
Summary: The red headed stepchild of all crossovers. BtVS, ST-DS9, Highlander, X-Files, Star Wars, ST-TNG, L&C etc, etc, etc. Many inconsistencies, but hey, what the hey. Unfortunately no part of this story involves Angel and a lightsaber


The DS9 EXPERIENCE ****

The D.S.9 Experience

Greetings and Salutations from the edges, angles and sides of the known cult TV universe. While the name of said story would indicate a mainly DS9 story. Actually when I read it, its more of a BtVS story plunked right in the middle of the ST universe (DS9? BtVS? ST? No you cannot buy a vowel.) 

Author's Notes: Well, as you'll probably notice, I've taken some liberties with the designations, the workplaces and general lives of our much loved characters (some liberties? If I took any more liberties with them I'd be arrested for indecent assault!!) Think of it as a kinda Uber story, with most characters moved from their normal times to a more suitable (for the story) time. Just remember that personality wise and emotionally they are approximately the same. You'll notice that I've left out several secondary characters, I couldn't find anywhere to put them. You'll also notice that I've missed out on some fairly primary characters, especially a certain schizophrenic vampire with a soul or without a soul, whatever the hell Joss wants to do. Stiff! Anyway……….

Disclaimer: These characters, their shows, movies and content are own by a wide range of people, companies, corporations, none of whom I am associated with or whom I own shares in. I wish I did, then I might actually be able to get a life, instead of being a total TV addict (or I could become a worse TV addict) Please don't sue me, I'm not making any money and I doubt there is a monetary value on the screams of delight and adulation of my fans.

Read, enjoy, comment, review, I don't even mind flames, as long as you send a packet of smokes and a bottle of tequila with it.

I dedicate this to my brother, who is a total health and nature buff and can't understand my fascination. This will really piss him off. 

****

Featuring: 

From Star Trek–Deep Space Nine

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Captain Benjamin Sisko-Station Commander in Chief

**__**

Major Kira Nerys-Second in charge and Bajoran liaison.

**__**

Lieutenant Commander Worf - Station Tactical Defence Officer and Klingon Liaison.

**__**

Lieutenant Commander Jadxia Dax - Station Science Officer.

**__**

Doctor Julian Bashir – Station Chief Medical Officer.

**__**

Chief Engineer Miles O'Brien – Station Chief of Operations.

**__**

Constable Odo – Station Chief of Security.

**__**

Quark – Leader of Station Chamber of commerce. Owner and manager of Quark's bar.

**__**

Jake Sisko – Son of Benjamin Sisko. Freelance journalist and writer.

****

From Star Trek-The Next Generation

**_Captain Jean-Luc Picard_** - Commanding Officer of U.S.S Enterprise.

**_Commander William T Riker_** – First Officer.

**_Lieutenant Commander Data_** – Second Officer and Chief of Operations.

**_Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge_** – Chief of Engineering.

**_Lieutenant Commander Deanna Troi_** – Ship's Counsellor.

**_Doctor Beverley Crusher_** – Chief Medical Officer.

**_Guinan_** – Ship's Bartender.

**__**

Ro Laren – Former Starfleet Lieutenant. Member of Cardassian Neutral Zone Freedom Fighting group called the Maquis. 

****

From Buffy the Vampire Slayer. 

**__**

Ensign Buffy Summers – Recently graduated from Starfleet Academy. Command stream. Also Slayer of vampires and other evil creatures.

**__**

Ensign Xander (Alexander) Harris- Recently graduated from Starfleet Academy. Child prodigy with doctorate in medicine. Medical and science stream.

**__**

Ensign Willow Rosenberg – Recently graduated from Starfleet Academy. Computer expert. Operations Stream. Also trainee Watcher. 

**__**

Federation Liaison Rupert Giles – United Federation of Planets Diplomat and troubleshooter. Also Watcher of the Slayer and instructor of the trainee Watcher.

****

From Lois and Clark, The New Adventures of Superman 

**__**

Clark Kent – Journalist and reporter for the Daily Galaxy news service. A.k.a, Lord Kal-el of the House of El, of New Krypton, a hidden planet in the Gamma Quadrant.

**__**

Lois Lane – Journalist and reporter for the Daily Galaxy news service.

****

From JAG

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Lieutenant Commander Harmon (Harm) Rabb – Former Starfleet test pilot. Currently Starfleet JAG field officer.

**__**

Lieutenant Meg Austin – Starfleet JAG field officer. Hi-tech Weapons Expert.

****

From Xena-Warrior Princess

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Lieutenant Commander Xena Pappas – Security officer. Specially detailed by Starfleet Security to investigate Dominion penetration of the Alpha Quadrant.

**__**

Lieutenant s.g Gabrielle Covington – Security officer. Partner of Commander Pappas. 

****

From Highlander

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Federation Special Ambassador Duncan Macleod of the Clan Macleod – Federation Ambassador. Also Immortal.

**__**

Federation Special Ambassador Connor Macleod of the Clan Macleod – Federation Ambassador. Also Immortal and winner of the prize.

**__**

Adam Pierson a.k.a Methos – Oldest living immortal. Member of the Society of Watchers that observe the activities of Immortals, though they are unaware of his Immortal Status.

**__**

Amanda Darieux- Immortal Thief. On and off again lover of Duncan Macleod.

**__**

Cassandra – Immortal Witch. Long time antagonist of Methos,

****

From The X-Files

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Special Agent Fox Mulder - Federation Security field officer. Well known conspiracy theorist.

**__**

Special Agent Dana Scully - Federation Security field officer. Forensic Pathologist. Well known sceptic of conspiracy theorem. 

****

The Pretender

**__**

Jarod T Kirk (current alias) – Fugitive from conspiratorial installation known as the Centre. A genius that can become anything he wants to be. A punisher of those who wreck lives.

**__**

Miss Parker (no first name recorded) – Field officer with the Centre. Charged with capturing Jarod and returning him to the centre. 

**__**

Doctor Sydney Green – Clinical Psychologist and behavioural expert. Former Caseworker for Jarod and now a field officer charged with his capture and return.

**__**

Broots- Computer systems analyst and expert. Technical back up for Miss Parker and Doctor Green.

****

From Sliders 

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Quinn Mallory – 20th century Quantum physics prodigy. Creator of parallel time travel, known commonly as 'Sliding'.

**__**

Captain Maggie Beckett – Slider. ie. Parallel dimension traveller. Former Harrier jumpjet pilot and captain in the U.S. Marines.

**__**

Rembrandt 'Crying man' Brown- Slider. Former entertainer.

****

From Star Wars

**__**

Luke Skywalker- Jedi Knight. Fugitive from the Galactic Empire. Son of Darth Vader. Member of X-wing Rogue Squadron. Human male, native of planet Tatooine.

**__**

Han Solo- Mercenary Smuggler. Fugitive from the Galactic Empire and Jabba the Hutt. Captain of the YT- 1300 Light Freighter 'The Millenium Falcon'. Human male, native of Corellia.

**__**

Princess Leia Organa- Rebellian Leader. Former Old Republic Senator. Fugitive from the Galactic empire. Human female, native of planet Alderaan.

**__**

Chewbacca - Co-pilot. Fugitive from the Galactic Empire. Navigator and engineer of the Millenium Falcon. Wookie male, native of planet Kashayakk.

**__**

C-3PO-Protocol droid. Expert in human cyborg relations. 

**__**

R2-D2- Multipurpose droid. Operates functions of X-wing fighter.

**__**

Wedge Antilles- X-wing pilot. Commander. Member of New Republic. Squadron Leader of Rogue Squadron. Human male, native of planet Corellia.

**__**

Gavin Darklighter- X-wing pilot. Flight Officer. Member of New Republic. Member of Rogue Squadron. Human male, native of planet Tatooine. 

****

From Charmed

**__**

Pru Halliwell – Human Female, Terran native, Practising Wiccan and leader in the Terran Wiccan Movement.

**__**

Piper Halliwell - Human Female, Terran native, Practising Wiccan and leader in the Terran Wiccan Movement.

**__**

Phoebe Halliwell - Human Female, Terran native, Practising Wiccan and leader in the Terran Wiccan Movement.

****

From Sabrina the Teenage Witch

**__**

Sabrina Spellman – Immortal Female, Terran Native, Practising Wiccan. Immortality is not through Highlander style, but instead the result of Wiccan heritage.

**__**

Zelda Spellman - Immortal Female, Terran Native, Practising Wiccan. Immortality is not through Highlander style, but instead the result of Wiccan heritage.

**__**

Hilda Spellman - Immortal Female, Terran Native, Practising Wiccan. Immortality is not through Highlander style, but instead the result of Wiccan heritage.

****

From Battlestar Galactica

Commander Adama – Commanding Officer of the Colonial Battlestar Galactica. Native of the Colony of Caprica.

Captain Apollo – Commanding officer of the Galactica's Colonial Viper complement. Native of the Colony of Caprica. Son of Commander Adama.

Lieutenant Starbuck – Colonial Viper pilot. Friend of Apollo. Notorious gambler and con man.

Lieutenant Boomer – Colonial Viper pilot.

****

Part 1

Captain Benjamin Sisko, commander in charge of the Starfleet space station, Deep Space Nine, silently cursed as he went through his schedule for the day. There never seemed to be enough time for him to have a life while also doing his work. Jake didn't seem to mind, he was too busy with his life as a freelance reporter. Jake Sisko's reporting of the Cardassian/Dominion occupation of Deep Space Nine had gained him a receptive audience. 

Nevertheless, it would be nice to see his son every so often. He was aware of the presence of three young officers in his office, but they were ensigns and were used to waiting for their superiors. After the Dominion threat had been quelled for the moment, Starfleet had decided that beefing up the crew complement on the station was probably a good idea. He had five coming in today, and more coming in later. 

First there were the three eager young ensigns, just out of the academy and looking forward to an adventurous life on the frontier. The other two were an experienced security team who worked well together. He had read their personnel files and was looking forward to meeting them. Right now he had to deal with three snot nosed rookies. 

Placing the PADD on his desk, he looked at them. And interesting looking trio, that was for sure. The first was a petite blonde who was incredibly pretty in a wholesome, almost cheerleader fashion. She had blonde hair, tied into a ponytail, golden tanned skin and blue eyes. She wore the burgundy tunic under her grey and black everyday uniform that indicated she was in the Command department. She had been transferred to the tactics and strategies division, under Lieutenant Commander Worf. Although her looks didn't show it, she happened to have a fiery temper and a very short fuse, not to mention the fighting skill to back it up. According to her graduation report, she tended to get into fights with other cadets at the drop of a hat. Most of her instructors and the commandant of the academy had reprimanded her, on many occasions, but her academic record and potential had made them wary about throwing her out. Maybe she would be able to learn control under Lieutenant Commander Worf, who was the model of control, despite his genetic disposition towards trouble. The young ensign went by the ridiculously old fashioned name of Buffy Summers.

The young man that stood in the middle and towered over his companions had a certain mischievous caste to his manner. He was standing at attention, but he seemed calm and laid back enough to be lounging on a couch. He wore the cobalt of the Sciences department. At the age of 22, he had received his Ph.d and was practicing medical officer. He was a prodigy whose instructors lamented that he never reached his potential, due to excessive laziness, and willingness to only do as much as was required of him. He had specially requested to be transferred to Doctor Bashir's small but efficient medical team, instead of a research post on earth. Obviously he wanted the challenge of the frontier, and considering the skirmishes they had with the Cardassians, the Dominion, the remnants of the Maquis, the Klingons and anyone else who felt like causing trouble, they could always use another doctor. He was called Alexander Harris. 

The last of the trio was another petite human female. She had auburn hair, pale skin and soulful eyes. She was the sort you instantly wanted to protect and care for. Nonetheless she had her skills and they were prodigious ones. She wore the ochre tunic of operations and was a computer technician of much skill. Her name was Ensign Willow Rosenberg. Chief O'Brien would be pleased to have her under his wing. According to the commandant's report, these three had been close friends in the academy. They stood out and were different from the rest so they were a group of misfits who were naturally drawn together. Now they were crewmembers of DS9. 

"Welcome to DS9 ensigns. It's a hard life that you've picked for yourself, but it's a worthwhile life if you allow it to be. Remember that both Starfleet and the Bajoran government administer this station. Any Bajoran officers serving aboard this station are to be treated with the same respect as a Starfleet officer. Stay alert and learn well, and you'll get along fine," Ben Sisko stated. 

"Yes sir," Ensign Harris stated. 

"I've never been partial to sir, call me captain." Ben said. 

"What about Emissary?" Ensign Harris asked. 

"Only on special occasions," Ben replied as the boy grinned cheekily. 

Ben couldn't help it, he grinned back. Ensign Harris could almost be his son, though Jake lacked the sense of fun that Ensign Harris seemed to possess in spades. 

"You are dismissed. You are free to go back to your quarters, your department heads will contact you with your duty assignments," he stated as they nodded, turned and walked out the door.

****

Part 2

"Talk about chalk and cheese," Ben thought as he looked at the two officers who stood before him. They were so different that the old Terran saying suited a purpose. 

They were Lieutenant Commander Xena Pappas and Lieutenant (s.g) Gabrielle Covington. They would be officially working under Constable Odo's eye but their main duty was to halt the ability of the Founders to get on the station. Both had fought the Dominion with distinction and had gained quite a reputation as a team. 

They also happened to be cohabiting, which Ben found a little disquieting. He had no problems with same sex relationships. They were living in an era where different species developed long relationships. What he didn't like was the fact that they were professional partners and romantic partners at the same time. The injury or death of one could emotionally incapacitate the other quite easily. Their closeness had had a positive effect on their duties, and they appeared to have an almost telepathic link between them. 

Lieutenant Commander Pappas was a tall, muscular female. Her features were tanned and beautiful in an Amazonian manner. Even under her uniform, he could detect the rippling of muscles. She had a pair of blue eyes that must have fascinated many a person, both male and female. She could probably stare down a Norsiccan with those looks and even he was feeling a little intimidated. 

On the other hand, Lieutenant Covington was pretty in a sunny fresh manner. She had a cute face, twinkling green eyes and hair that seemed to go from blonde to strawberry blonde to red as he watched her. They were definitely unique, but unique was good. 

"I want to wish you the best of luck for your time here," he said to them. 

"Thankyou very much Captain. We are so looking forward to this change," Lieutenant Covington said and then continued to talk. Her conversation bounced all over the place, and Ben couldn't get a word in edgewise. 

He was starting to feel a little shocked so he looked at Commander Pappas. She had an amused and affectionate look on her face as she gazed at her partner. She was obviously used to the effect her partner had on most people.

****

Part 3

"Captain, the JAG people are here," Major Kira's voice stated over the commchannel. 

Ben yawned and sat up. He had just completed a meeting with the Bajoran government and was feeling a little dazed. Being the emissary was starting to lose its charm, not that it ever had charm, but he was getting sick to death of everyone running to him for help, instead of working it out for themselves. 

He remembered the memo he had received from Starfleet Command. They were sending two JAG officers to DS9, to be part of the standard crew complement. The JAG officers would assist with the investigation of civil and military matters, as well being a ready resource for Bajoran government officials who wished to check certain details leading up to Bajor's application for entrance into the United Federation of Planets. 

Ben thought it was a good idea. They would take some of the heat off his overworked personnel. It was a good move, and according to their personnel files, they were decent officers as well. 

The door opened to reveal two very tall people. The female officer was bright faced, blonde and cute. It was the only way to describe her. 

Her name was Lieutenant Megan Austin and as well as being a lawyer she was a computer weapons specialist. It was an interesting combination that was for sure. 

Her superior was tall enough to make Ben feel short. He had short dark hair a handsome face and twinkling eyes. This one was definitely a ladies man. 

Lieutenant Commander Harmon Rabb, ex Starfleet experimental test pilot, who had damaged his retina during one particularly nasty crash. Although he could still fly, he didn't have observation skills required by the test-piloting program. Not to be deterred and not wanting to be stuck with normal piloting, he went back to university and got his law degree in two years. He applied to JAG and was accepted. 

He had gained a reputation as having the 'hot hand' in JAG. This was an indication of how highly Starfleet JAG regarded DS9, if they were willing to send there best and brightest here.

"Welcome aboard Commander Rabb and Lieutenant Austin," he said as he shook hands with them. 

Lieutenant Austin had a surprisingly good handshake. "My family raises cattle in Texas. You gain a good grip when you spend your formative years roping and wrestling steers. Call me Meg," she said, obviously aware of how he regarded her handshake. He liked her accent it suited her. 

"Call me Harm. We intend on keeping our time here reasonably relaxed. People tend to get nervous around lawyers for some reason," the man stated, causing Ben to chuckle. 

He ran a pretty laid back command, and it got past what would be consider insubordinate because of his crew's deep and abiding respect for one another. 

"They only get nervous around you sir," the woman stated, a friendly jibe aimed at her superior.

Harm Rabb laughed at this, obviously treating this like one of many comments that passed between them, and which usually indicated a sibling relationship of a type. Ben had been looking at her at the time and had seen the wistful look on her face. Someone was carrying a torch for her superior he had to conclude. 

"We've cleaned out office space on the promenade right next to sickbay, for your office. Major Kira will escort you there and help you to get set up," he said as Kira Nerys walked into the room and looked at Harm. 

Most men usually fled from those hard eyes, but Harm just smiled wider, and Ben watched as his 2ic melted. 

"If you'll come with me," She stated, as she turned and walked out of the room with Meg Austin in tow. 

"She's a bit intense," Harm commented. 

"Major Kira does not suffer fools gladly. Good luck out there," Ben answered with a slight smile as Harm returned the grin and walked out of his office.

****

Part 4

"Hey dad," Jake Sisko stated as he hugged his father. 

Ben noticed that his son had gained in confidence and stature during his stay on Terrak Nor during the occupation. It suited him and Ben was glad for that. His last bit of sadness that his son hadn't followed him into Starfleet drained out of him. Jake was doing something he loved, and that was all that was important to his father. 

When they pulled back from their embrace, he noticed the two people who entered the room with Jake. The man, tall, imposing and yet with a friendly face. He was dressed in a dark suit that looked very professional. He also wore glasses. This surprised Ben because leaps in medical technology, eyeglasses were not required for most optically deficient people of the Federation. Ben gathered that this man had a deficiency that could not be fixed. 

His partner was a smaller, well shaped woman with shoulder length dark hair, classically beautiful hair and face. She was so intriguingly lovely that he could have looked at her all day. 

"Father, I'd like to introduce you to meet Clark Kent and Lois Lane of the Daily Galaxy. They have been sent to Deep Space nine to cover Dominion activity in the area. I'm going to be working under them as a cadet journalist," Jake explained as Ben smiled proudly. 

His son's incisive and courageous reporting of a tense situation had started a bidding war amongst the major news services. Ben had heard that he had received a lucrative offer from INN, but the Daily Galaxy was the classiest one of the group. Jake had obviously gone for journalistic integrity over money. 

"A pleasure to meet both of you," Ben stated as he shook hands. 

Lois Lane looked him right in the eye, making him realise that under the beautiful exterior was a pit bull mentality, the sort who would go to any lengths to get a story, and who wouldn't let go of the story once she had it. 

He winced as he shook Clark Kent's hand. He may have had problems with his eyesight, and he might have seemed like the mild mannered sort, but he had a vice like handshake. 

"That's quite a handshake you've got," he quipped as Clark Kent laughed slightly. Ben considered going down to sickbay and having his hand checked. With any luck he hadn't crushed all the bones in it.

****

Part 5

"Welcome to our humble sickbay, Doctor Harris," Julian Bashir stated extravagantly as he looked at the young man who stood before him. Was he ever that young, he could not remember. 

"Call me Xander, Doctor Bashir, I prefer it," the ensign answered. 

"Xander it is. So, why DS9, I hear that you had your choice of some prestigious postings," Julian asked as he and the ensign walked around the sickbay. 

He didn't even need to say where everything was, he just needed to show Xander, who was smart enough to understand. Ever since he had been allowed to admit that he was genetically superior, he didn't even attempt to make it easy on people. Luckily, Ensign Harris managed to keep up. 

"Several reasons actually. Firstly, all the papers you've written on various conditions and treatments. You obviously get a chance to experience a lot out here, and I want in on the action. Secondly, Buffy and Willow have been posted here. I didn't have many friends during high school and the academy and I'm not really ready to leave them behind yet. Thirdly, my friend Buffy tends to get a little intense. That usually leads to broken furniture, busted up sentient lifeforms and nights spent in the brig. I'm her pressure valve. She takes her frustration out on me, ensuring that she doesn't take it out on anyone else. I don't mind, and it's good for her. I'm thinking about authoring a paper on it." Xander answered as Julian nodded. 

He liked the straightforward manner of the ensign. He found that many officers who came from Starfleet Command Headquarters tended to have their own version of diplomatic dialogue. It was convoluted and you usually had to spend 15 minutes deciphering it. The Starfleet crew of DS9 had become accustomed to speaking bluntly, because of the blunt manner of most Bajorans. 

"What sort of name is Buffy?" Julian inquired. 

"The sort of name that gets her into a lot of fights. Apparently she had some famous ancestor in the past, also called Buffy, and every couple of generations, they name a daughter Buffy in honour of her." Xander explained. 

"I think I'd like to meet this young hot head, considering that I'll probably be seeing some of her handiwork shortly. It's good to have you around Xander. I've trained numerous Bajoran nationals to assist me, and I have a couple of skilled nurses, but I still need to be around. I'd like to work on research, there are several ideas I'd like to look into, and having you here will ensure that I have the time to do them," Julian explained. 

"Glad to be of service," Xander answered.

****

Part 6

"Grab my ass again you troll and I'll pull out your elephant ears and shove them up that pudgy wrinkled nose of yours," a voice exclaimed loudly, causing all activity in Quark's bar to stop.

"What the hell was that?" Lieutenant Commander Jadxia Dax asked her fiance. 

Lieutenant Commander Worf shook his head in resignation. 

"That is my new subordinate, Ensign Summers. She has a hot temper and a distinctive lack of control. Quark probably assaulted her like he does with every woman who comes in her. I'd better calm her down before there is bloodshed," Worf stated as he walked away from their table, towards the front of the bar. 

Jadxia quickly got up and followed him. She was curious to see this ensign that Worf would describe as 'hot tempered' and 'lacking control'. 

When they arrived at the front of the bar, the sight before her made her unconsciously giggle. 

Quark stood before her. An adorably cute petite blonde girl in a Starfleet command uniform was holding him against the bar with a hand wedged tightly against his throat. Her other hand was clenched in a fist, and raised, as if ready to pound the Ferengi bartender into the ground. The look on Quark's face told Jadxia that he was absolutely terrified. She knew that Quark knew a genuine threat, and he obviously considered the ensign a threat. 

"Is there a problem here ensign?" Worf asked in his rumbling bass baritone. 

"This ugly little troll grabbed my backside. Now I'm going to ram his head repeatedly into his own bar, sir," Ensign Summers stated in a voice that indicated that she had no qualms about carrying out her threat. 

"Help me Commanders," Quark pleaded. 

"Quark, how many times have I told you about sexually harassing Starfleet officers. I told you that you would get in trouble one day, but you just didn't listen. I think we might just let Ensign Summers kick your ass." Jadxia stated with a grin. 

She truly liked Quark, but sometimes he needed to learn his limitations. 

"That's enough ensign," Worf barked sharply, then turning to transfix his fiance with a sharp look. Ensign Summers reluctantly let go of Quark. 

"I suggest that you do not try that again with Ensign Summers or any other Starfleet officers. Next time, the ensign might put you through a bulkhead before I'm inclined to stop her," Worf warned him. 

"Please excuse my behaviour Ensign Summers. May I get you a drink, on the house of course," Quark stated.

Jadxia's eyes shot up. That was an indication of just how scared of Ensign Summers he was. A penny pincher like Quark would never offer drinks on the house, except under special circumstances. 

"I'll have a Sumerian sunset, and whatever the commanders are having," Ensign Summers stated with a glare, causing Quark to flee behind his bar. 

"Sit with us Ensign Summers. We might be able to keep you out of trouble for five minutes," Worf stated as he indicated for her to follow him. 

****

Part 7

"It took you only two hours to re-configure the transporter matrix. This is much more efficient and safe now," Chief Miles O'Brien stated with obvious approval to his new crewmember, Ensign Willow Rosenberg. 

"Thankyou for your confidence in allowing me to implement these changes. I've been doing quite a bit of research, but none of my instructors were confident enough to allow me to try a live test," Willow said with a faint blush as O'Brien smiled. 

He felt almost paternal towards this sweet girl. He hoped that his own daughter Molly grew up with such a beautiful nature. Besides that, she was as brilliantly skilful as her reports had indicated.

"Well if you have any ideas come to me and I'll have a look at them. I'd like you to report on these modifications and I'll send them to Starfleet research. But now, the duty shifts are just about to change, so we're both of duty. Why don't you allow me to buy you a drink at Quark's. I like to get to know the men and women that I'll be depending on." He suggested.

"I was planning to meet my friends there, but I'd like that. They wouldn't mind you joining us," she answered. 

A little while later they arrived at Quarks and O'Brien saw Dax, Worf and Julian sitting with two young ensigns. The male ensign was telling a story and from the look of mirth on the faces of his audience, it was a good one. 

"Those are my friends, Buffy Summers and Xander Harris," Willow stated eagerly. 

"Lead the way," O'Brien answered as he walked towards the table. 

They arrived at the table just as everyone , including Worf, burst into outrageous laughter. "Miles, take a seat. The drinks are on Quark tonight it seems," Julian said as Miles looked at his friend.

"How did you manage that? You might as well ask Quark to part with his ears, as part with free drinks." O'Brien asked as he sat down in between Julian and the young male ensign. He gathered this was Xander Harris. 

"Apparently Quark grabbed Ensign Summers' rear end," Julian stated as O'Brien noticed Willow giving the petite blonde ensign a look. 

"How badly did you hurt him Buffy?" Willow asked her friend carefully. O'Brien was surprised. Ensign Summers didn't look all that dangerous. But if Willow's honesty was anything to go by, she was. Even Worf was watching the ensign with a type of wary admiration. 

"Nah, just scared him half to death," Buffy answered as Willow grinned and took her seat in between her two friends. 

Xander put an arm around her in a friendly manner and Buffy unconsciously moved closer. O'Brien had a feeling that Willow had plenty of protectors if she needed them. Obviously the senior officers were taking this group of young ensigns under their wing, until they got sorted out. This was fine with him 

"So, what are we going to do tonight?" Julian asked. 

"The same thing we do every night Pinky, try to take over the world," Xander answered in a dramatic manner as Willow and Buffy dissolved into helpless giggles. 

The senior officers were absolutely bemused by this, hypothesising that it was probably some joke that was meaningful to this generation. 

When the ensigns had finally stopped laughing, Buffy explained, "You'll have to excuse us. Xander here is a 20th century television buff and he's gotten us addicted to it as well. One is an animated feature called 'Pinky and the Brain'. Its about two laboratory mice who plot to take over the world, and constantly fail. At the end of every episode, Pinky asks, 'So, what are we going to do tomorrow night?' The Brain answers, 'the same thing we do every night Pinky, try to take over the world.' It's incredibly childish, but it's a lot of fun." 

"I'm always up to learning new experiences. I'd like to see this animated feature," Jadxia stated to Xander who returned her look adoringly. 

"I have every episode on data chip. I would be honoured to copy them for you," Xander answered.

"O'Brien was watching the three ensigns, so he saw what the score was. Willow obviously had a long term crush on Xander, but he didn't seem to notice, considering her only as a best friend. One look at Buffy, who was watching Willow's adoring, but disappointed look, and shaking her head in resignation, confirmed his suspicions.

****

Part 8

"You'll have to excuse my partner, she tends to talk a lot," Xena apologised to Odo, who's smooth, inanimate features were decorated with a certain shock. 

"I'll say. She could probably talk in a vacuum. You're the silent type, I gather. Never had much patience for useless chatter myself. Humans tend to talk way too much and do way too little," Odo replied as he looked at Lieutenant Commander Xena Pappas. 

For a human she was impressive. Odo did not know why but he just felt that she looked strange in a Starfleet uniform. She would have been more suited to Klingon armour. 

"I'm a doer, Gabrielle could get a stone to talk. Its part of her charm," Xena answered with a shrug.

"I noticed the personal weaponry that you bought onto my station, are they standard issue?" Odo asked as he indicated the sword that was mounted on the wall behind her desk. The other was a metallic circle that gleamed in the light. 

"They are heirlooms from an ancient ancestor of mine. She was a great warrior in ancient Greece. They were lost for millennia until Melanie Pappas and Janice Covington, ancestors of Janice and myself recovered them. This happened just before World War 2. I use them on the holodeck, to stay in practice. On occasion I've taken them on away missions to worlds that don't have phaser technology. Do they make you nervous?" she asked. 

"Starfleet officers carrying personal weaponry used to worry me, but after having to deal with Lieutenant Commander Worf and his Bat'leth, I've pretty much resigned myself to it," Odo answered as Xena's eyes lit up. 

"The same Worf, son of Mogh, who won the Bat'leth tournament on Ficus Three?" she inquired. "I must talk to him at some point. I've always wanted to learn the Bat'leth, and from such a skilled warrior as Worf it would worth it. Dahar masters don't train women," Xena stated. 

"Something tells me that I should notify Doctor Bashir of the extra business he'll be receiving." Odo said, shaking his head in resignation.

****

Part 9

Major Kira Nerys didn't normally find human males attractive, but she concluded that she would have to be dead not to find the tall charmer, Harm Rabb, unattractive. He was inherently handsome, with an easygoing charm that she felt right down to her toes. 

She had been helping the two JAG officers to move into their offices aboard DS9, and he had taken every opportunity to playfully flirt with her. She could still remember the looks he had received from the females that had wondered up and down the promenade. Most had stared unashamedly at him, one had even walked into a bulkhead while paying too much attention to him, and not enough attention to where she was going. 

His partner had viewed these reactions with resignation, obviously used to her partner's effect on the opposite sex. Of course, she had garnered just as much attention from the male population. 

Tall enough to make Kira feel minuscule, she had blonde curly hair, a freckled face and a ridiculously cute upturned nose that shouldn't have suited her face but did. 

"That's the last of it. Nerys, I saw a bar on the promenade. I would like to buy you a drink, as thanks for your assistance," he inquired. 

"I usually meet the rest of the senior officers for a drink after my shift. Why don't you both join us? It will give you a chance to meet them," Kira suggested. 

Harm nodded and turned to his partner. "Meg?" he asked. 

"Sounds good sir, I need some down time," she answered. 

Kira noticed that Meg always addressed her partner as 'sir' when she was on duty. Kira also noticed a certain proprietary glance that Lieutenant Austin had given her partner. Kira recognised that look. It told her that although Harm didn't realise it, he was off the market.

****

Part 10

"He is absolutely gorgeous," Buffy stated as Jadxia looked to see what had gotten the young ensign in such a tizzy. 

Her eyes opened wider as she looked at the man who was following Major Kira into Quarks. He was definitely pleasing to the eye, the sort of man who knew that he was gorgeous to the opposite sex, but really didn't make a big deal of it. The rest of the woman in the room seemed to care and a couple of Quark's waitresses stopped in their tracks when he walked right past them. 

"Babysitting tonight?" Kira asked as she reached the table and looked at the three ensigns. 

Jadxia saw that Xander gazed adoringly at Kira, something he did when any remotely good looking woman approached him. Willow blushed and tried to sink into her seat. Buffy bristled and clenched her fist. Jadxia decided to put a halt to this. She had seen first hand what Buffy with a bad temper was capable of. 

"Ensign Buffy Summers, Xander Harris and Willow Rosenberg," she said, introducing them. 

"Hi, sorry about the babysitting crack. I'm Major Kira Nerys. I'd like you all to meet Lieutenant Commander Rabb and Lieutenant Meg Austin of JAG," Kira said as she introduced the rest of the senior staff. 

"Please sit down," Worf stated, indicating that he really wasn't happy with the way Harm Rabb was looking at Jadxia, and the way she was reciprocating. 

"Welcome, drinks to this table are on the house tonight. What can I get you?" Quark asked as he walked over. They ordered and Quark hurried away, not before giving Ensign Summers a wary glance. 

"Why is he so generous today?" Kira asked as wide smiles appeared around the table. 

"Quark treated Ensign Summers in an inappropriate manner. Ensign Summers then proceeded to scare the ears off Quark. He's going to be very nice to her from now on," Jadxia explained with a wide smile on her face. 

"Good on you ensign, never give a Ferengi an even break," Harm congratulated Buffy, causing her to blush.

****

Part 11

"Captain, join us," Doctor Julian Bashir called out. 

He truly liked the captain, and they had become good friends over the years, but Julian had an ulterior motive. He wanted to meet the gorgeous woman who had walked into Quark's with him. Every single male at the table was looking at her with similar interest that the women had greeted the arrival of Harm Rabb, earlier. Even Worf regarded her admiringly. She was a classical beauty, but she also looked like the sort who attracted trouble. It was an intoxicating mix.

"I see that you're making our newcomers feel welcome. Ensigns Summers, Harris, and Rosenberg, Lieutenant Commanders Rabb, Dax, and Worf, Lieutenant Austin, Major Kira, Chief O'Brien and Doctor Bashir. I would like to introduce Lois Lane and Clark Kent from the Daily Galaxy. They will be stationed aboard DS9 to report on Dominion activity. I have also given them permission to interview people about their experiences during the occupation. You are under no obligation to do so, but it would be good for those people back home to get an idea of what we have to face out here." Captain Sisko stated as the men offered their seats to the lovely Lois Lane. 

Her companion, Clark Kent, didn't look at all impressed. The women who looked at him, deduced that while he wasn't in the same league as Harm Rabb, he was still an attractive man, with a certain sensitivity and kindness that had its place. Quark immediately arrived, got their orders and left.

"Why is Quark acting like he's scared for his life?" Ben asked as all eyes looked at Ensign Summers, who blushed and tried to hide. 

"It would take too long to explain, Benjamin," Dax answered with a sly grin. 

She knew that Benjamin would not be able to keep the smile off his face, once he heard the whole story, but he had to keep that stern commanding officer facade up. 

"I'll take your word for it old man," Ben answered as the new members of the group gave him a strange look, before looking at Jadxia again. 

He didn't need to be a psychic to know what they were thinking. Jadxia was neither old, nor a man, so why was he calling her that. 

"It appears you have a story to tell, Benjamin," she commented with a grin. 

"I'd have to sat that you were right. Well, ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you about an incorrigible Trill called Curzon Dax," Benjamin answered.

****

Part 12

"Lieutenant Commander Worf, I'd like you to teach me how to fight with the Bat'leth," Xena Pappas stated as she approached him. 

Most people usually had cause to wonder about their own mortality when they first met the large, impressive Worf, but the tall, muscular and intimidating woman with the black hair, glacial blue eyes and wide shoulders looked ready to stare him down. 

"Direct, isn't she." Jadxia commented dryly. She didn't like the way her fiance was looking at this woman. 

"Xena has never been known for subtlety. It can be irritating on occasion, but on the whole her straightforwardness has its own charm," Lieutenant Gabrielle Covington answered, giving her partner an adoring look. 

Xena winked at Gabrielle. Jadxia sighed in partial relief. There was no way that Xena was going to go after her Klingon. Knowing this, it gave Jadxia a chance to relax and observe the two. The men at the table seemed both attracted and intimidated by Xena, while her chatty friend seemed to have charmed her way into the group. 

Even Willow Rosenberg who had seemed so intimidated by all the older people at the table, instantly smiled and scooted over a seat, so that Gabrielle would sit with her. Jadxia had been one of those interminably shy people before her attachment to the Dax symbiont, so she knew that you took every piece of comfort that you could get.

The group had decided to be kind to Quark, who had already paid for his violations, numerous times over. They started buying their drinks, but he still insisted that Buffy not even bother bringing her wallet out of her pocket. 

The group had split up into interesting groups. Worf, Xena, Odo and Kira were conversing. Buffy, Jadxia, Lois and Gabrielle had formed a group. Ben Harm and Clark seemed to be in the middle of a fairly in depth conversation, and Meg, O'Brien and Willow were talking engineering, though she didn't know where the JAG officer had learned so much about it. 

Julian and Xander were wandering between conversations when something caught their ear. Otherwise they played Dabo or flirted with the waitresses. Jadxia shook her head; it appeared DS9's playboy doctor had found a partner in crime.

****

Part 13

"You are a formidable opponent Xena," Worf growled as he stepped back and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

She was a warrior that was obvious. She wasn't as skilled with the Bat'leth as he was, but she had the right reflexes. With proper training she would be able to defeat any warrior in the empire. 

Ever since his time spent on General Martok's bird of prey, and teaching his own son to be a warrior, Worf had found his desire to teach was overpowering. Alexander was on Qo'nos, learning how to be a warrior, under the sponsorship of Martok, the head of his family. 

Maybe this warrior woman could fill that gap. 

"I haven't had a decent work out like that in a long time. No wonder you have such a hefty reputation, Worf, you have earned it. I thought that those who had told me about you had exaggerated. They hadn't." she answered with a smile that was beautiful and savage. 

She may have been human, but any Klingon worth his honour, would have been proud to call her mate. 

"Thankyou. This round metallic thing you carry. I cannot see its purpose," he inquired. 

"It's called a Chakrum. It's a projectile weapon. Allow me to demonstrate," she suggested as he nodded his acquiesce. 

She picked it up and threw it. It bounced off several holographic walls, before imbedding itself in the last one. 

"Impressive. That is an effective weapon," he replied. 

"You show me yours and I'll show you mine," she answered with a touch of mischievousness. 

He roared with laughed, finally meeting a kindred spirit. None of the Starfleet personnel really understood what it was to be a warrior and to glory in it. Even the Bajorans, who were some of the best guerillas fighters he had ever seen, fought but didn't enjoy it. Jadxia, with her numerous lifetimes of experience and her unique view of Klingons, thanks to Curzon Dax, didn't understand it. 

But this woman before him, she understood it. They would become friends. 

"Allow me to buy you a drink of prune juice," he stated. 

She raised on eyebrow, which he found to be a fascinating manoeuvre, and said, "Prune juice it is." 

****

Part 14

"Ambassadors Duncan and Connor Macleod. Allow me to present Captain Benjamin Sisko, commander of Deep Space Nine and Emissary of the Bajoran people." The grey haired man stated in a stuttering tone that gave him the illusion of weakness. 

Ben wasn't fooled, because he knew this man. Under that whole reserved British manner was a highly knowledgeable and sometimes ruthless man with a driven personality. 

He was Rupert Giles, a Federation Liaison to Starfleet, and a diplomat who facilitated dialogue between the civil and military arms of the Federation. 

The two men who stood before Ben were unfamiliar apart from their reputations. Together and separately they had earned quite a reputations for their actions. They were cousins and it seemed like they had been around the Federation for a long time, yet both looked reasonably young. 

"A pleasure to meet you both. I wasn't notified of any official diplomatic delegation to Bajor, what can I do for you gentlemen?" Ben asked as he indicated for them to take a seat. 

"We're not going to Bajor, captain. The Bajoran entrance into the Federation is almost in the bag. It's just the legalities that need taking care. We're here to negotiate with the Cardassians and the Dominion. The war hurt both sides, Captain Sisko, and if the Dominion were to launch another attack, we might not survive this time. I think that Dominion realises that their survival depends on talking. Now that they realise that the Klingons and Romulans will follow our lead," Duncan Macleod explained. 

"You have a lot of power at your hands now, Captain. You are the commanding officer of the station right in the middle of the Dominion, the Cardassians and the Federation. Starfleet cannot replace you because no other officer they could get to replace you has the respect you've garnered from all sides. Everyone is looking to you captain. Can you handle that kind of power, captain?" Connor Macleod asked. 

"I believe so gentlemen. If you had asked me that six years ago, I doubt I would have said yes, but I am now up to the task," Ben replied. He had feeling that he could get to like Duncan Macleod, but there was something about Connor Macleod that unnerved him somewhat.

They were interrupted by the door signal. 

"Come," Ben ordered as Ensign Summers entered the room. 

"Ensign Summers, could you escort Ambassadors Macleod and Federation Liaison Giles to their guest quarters," Ben stated. 

Worf's protege had made quite a reputation for herself on the station. None gave her any trouble and Quark pretty much worshipped the ground she worked on. Working with Worf and Lieutenant Commander Xena Pappas had taught her discipline and control but she still seemed ready to lose her temper at the drop of a hat. 

"Buffy? it is you," Giles stated with delight. 

A genuine smile appeared on the ensign's face. "Wow Giles, what are you doing here?" she asked. Realising where she was, she snapped to attention. 

"I was engaged to Ensign Summer's mother a while back. It didn't work out, but I've always considered Buffy to be much like a daughter to me," Giles explained. 

"Did her mother have her temper?" Ben asked, in a tongue in cheek manner that caused Ensign Summers to blush deeply.

"No, Joyce Summers was one of the most even tempered women I've ever met. Noone knows where Buffy got her temper but many have had cause to regret it." Giles answered as he smiled at Buffy in a fond manner.

"I wouldn't doubt that. I've seen her in action. I will leave you in Ensign Summers' capable hands," Ben answered as he shook hands with Giles and the Macleods before watching them leave his office. 

When the door closed, he shook his head. Federation Ambassadors, Federation Liaisons, JAG officers, security officers, young ensigns and journalists. This was getting all too complicated for his liking. 

"Dad, are we still up for lunch?" Jake's voice asked over the comm-channel. Ben smiled and realised that he shouldn't inviting trouble. 

"I'll meet you in the canteen in fifteen minutes." Ben answered.

****

Part 15

"Okay Broots, you chased him this far, where now?" Miss Parker asked the balding man who stood next to her at the shuttle disembarkment exit. 

"He could be on the station, or he could down on Bajor. I can't say for sure, Miss Parker," he answered as he shrunk back from her. 

Part intimidation, part attraction, she had been described as, and he could agree with that. Personally, he hated being her whipping boy, but until they caught Jarod, he would be her technical support.

"Be sure," Miss Parker answered as she lit an Orion cigar. 

It was a fairly decadent sort of addiction, but she could afford it. 

"This is a No Smoking Area," an engineering technician stated as he walked past. 

"Deal with it," Miss Parker answered sharply. 

"Put that thing out now," a voice said causing them to turn around. 

They found themselves looking at a man who wore a Bajoran outfit. His facial features seemed strangely incomplete. 

"Or what?" Miss Parker asked. She didn't like being told anything. 

"Or you'll find yourself occupying a cell in the brig. Rules are made to protect people. Do it now," the man answered sharply. 

Miss Parker realised that she couldn't intimidate him, so she did as he asked. 

"My name is Odo and I am the Chief Security Officer aboard this station. I don't know what you're here for, but I can tell you one thing. You mess with me and you'll regret it," Odo stated.

"Please excuse us. Miss Parker tends to get a little antsy during space flight. Where might we be able to organise quarters and get a meal?" Doctor Sydney Green asked in a placating manner.

"You can organise accommodations through operations. There are many eating establishments on the promenade. Most have a no smoking policy, but Quark's bar should be able to take care of you." Odo answered. 

"Quark?" Miss Parker asked. 

"He's a Ferengi. A real troublemaker, so you should get along just fine." Odo answered. 

"Come Miss Parker, let's go and organise our rooms." Sydney stated hoping he could stall Miss Parker's sharp mouth from getting her chucked in a cell. She followed him, staring daggers into Odo's back.

****

Part 16

"You do realise that you are in a restricted area?" the voice stated coldly, causing Lois and Clark to freeze in their tracks and turn around. 

Clark cursed under his breath, realising that they were in big trouble. Why was he always allowing his partner to talk him into doing things that were going to get them in trouble? He knew why, it was because he was so totally in love with her, that he was willing to let her get away with almost anything. 

He looked at the woman in the security uniform who stood before and realised that he knew her. Lieutenant Commander Xena Pappas, whom they had met at Quarks a week before. She could have almost been Kryptonion with her proud stature, beauty and pride, but right now, she was annoyed. She wasn't angry, which was good, because he guessed that angry to her meant a knock down drag out brawl. 

He could have fought her off but he didn't want to break his cover. 

According to all around him, Clark Kent had been born on a farm to a Kansas farmer and his wife, where he had also been raised. Then when he was old enough, he had decided to leave and become a journalist. 

He had only just found that he was actually from New Krypton, a mysterious, almost legendary planet in the Gamma Quadrant. Their planet revolved around a red giant, and seeing how the Founders had systematically taken over system after system, had hidden their planet from sensors and naked eye, using technology so advanced that it would have made a Borg drool. 

He had been sent out into the galaxy as a child, to explore the galaxy and telepathically report his findings to those of New Krypton. This was so they could avoid being found out. 

What he also learned, was that because of his physiology, being away from the red giant had given him special powers. He could fly without aid, had x ray vision and was incredibly strong. He had kept these things secret, realising that he would be treated differently if people knew of his differences. 

It had helped him and Lois since they had been partnered together, and had saved their lives on many occasions. The glasses were cosmetic and gave him a weak appearance. Right now he hoped he wouldn't have to fight this woman. It would most assuredly destroy his cover.

"We got lost, sorry," Lois stated in her most charming, female manner. 

It the security guard had been male they might have gotten away with it. Instead they were faced with a 6 feet of tall, dark and intimidating. 

"Not good enough, you can tell me all about it in the brig. I'm sure there will be a long list of people who'll want to talk to you, starting with Captain Sisko," Lieutenant Commander Pappas stated with a glare that caused the normally fearless Lois to shrink back against Clark for support.

"Not so fast Xena, unfortunately Lane has a habit of sticking her nose where it isn't wanted. That's why we need her," a voice commented from the shadows. 

All three turned sharply as two people in civilian garb, yet wearing Starfleet communicators, walked out of the shadows. The man was handsome in a ruffled, unconventional manner with short light brown hair, a five o'clock shadow and clothes in definite need of pressing. 

On the other hand, his partner was completely different. Red hair, much like Lieutenant Covington's, as well as a similar height. While Lieutenant Covington had battle hardened muscles this woman seemed softer and paler. Nonetheless her wide eyes showed great intelligence as well as a certain cynicism. 

"Fox Mulder!!" Lois and Xena exclaimed in unison. 

"I'm touched that you both remember me," he answered with a boyish lopsided grin. 

"You don't forget wacko's, especially one's to the extent of you," Xena commented. 

"I think you might be skimming the surface, just a little Commander," Lois answered as Fox shrugged. 

"Looks like you're gaining popularity wherever you go, Mulder," the red headed woman commented. 

"It's my stunning personality, Scully." Fox answered. 

"Someone had better start giving some explanations, or I'm locking up the whole lot of you, irregardless of who you are," Xena stated, her frustration evident. 

"We're waiting for some who has information on the possibility of a secret Founder alliance with a group of Terrans." Fox answered as Xena snorted and even Lois looked sceptical. 

"Come on Mulder, why would anyone ally themselves with Dominion?" Lois asked.

"Power, control. The Dominion has failed to take us using strength, but if they can find a group of traitors willing to help them, they can get around it. Those traitors would be given rulership over the Federation. I mean, if a patriot like Gul Dukat can hand over Cardassia to the Dominion, then anyone can," Fox answered as Lois, Xena and Scully looked like they almost believed him. 

Clark had to admit that this theory was very possible. 

"Fox, you're paranoid," Xena stated. 

"Yes he is, but he is also the only one willing to listen," another voice stated as a man walked out of the shadows. He was tall, dark haired and while he looked around his early thirties, he had a certain innocence about him. 

"Jarod, you made it," Fox stated with relief as he walked over and shook the man's hand. 

"Just barely, but Miss Parker, Broots and Sydney have arrived on the station." The man called Jarod stated. 

"We'll hide you. Xena is quite skilled at that sort of thing," Fox said. 

"Why would I? You haven't given me a decent explanation for all this, you've just given me an extra someone to lock in the brig." Xena commented dryly. 

"Under no circumstances can Jarod go to the brig. He's too important," Fox stated sharply. 

"Give me something to work with Fox," she asked him. 

"Xena, are you familiar with a place called The Centre. It is located in Blue Cove, in Delaware, the northern eastern of the Northern American states?" Jarod asked. 

"It is a research facility, dealing mainly with behavioural sciences." She answered. 

"It is a behavioural modification facility. They also abduct child prodigies of all types from all over the Federation and exploit them for their own benefit. I was a prisoner there for 25 years," Jarod answered. 

"You have proof of this?" she asked. 

"Yes," he answered. 

"My quarters has a holonet scrambler set up. It would be the best place to avoid prying ears," she answered. 

"Thankyou," Jarod stated. 

" If what you say is true, then no-one deserves what you were put through. What exactly did they do to you anyway?" she asked. 

"We'll explain all that when we get ourselves sorted out," Fox said as Xena indicated for all to follow her back to her quarters.

****

Part 17

"So what's the deal with 'Fox'?" Cark asked as he and Lois and Clark sat on the lounge in the quarters of Xena Pappas and Gabrielle Covington. 

They were waiting for Xena's partner to arrive, since she had insisted that she and Gabrielle were a team. 

Fox had shrugged and was now giving Xena all the information she had required on Jarod. 

Jarod was having a shower and changing into a cleaner set of clothes. He had gotten onto the station, on an ore-transporting freighter, and was very dirty. 

"He works for Federation Security, completely separate from Starfleet. I met him on Betazed, before we partnered. You know all those conspiracy theorists were always laughing at. Well Fox is one of them. Very few people know what to make of him. Hell, he's been espousing complicated theories for years. The thing is, once the Dominion had become a threat, someone took a look at the numerous reports that some crackpot, who had been placed in a basement office in the FEDSEC building, had written years before. The accuracies were astounding, and since then he's become quite an expert on theorising what the Dominion and Cardassians will do next. You may think he's paranoid and unstable but his instincts are right on," Lois stated. 

"And it gives him the most irritatingly big head when people admit that," Dana Scully answered as she walked over and sat down. 

"He does get a big head, not like farm boy here who would blush red if someone said, 'Well done'." Lois commented as Clark blushed on queue. 

It was true that he had kept a large part of his Kansas farmboy manner. This was more habit than anything else was. 

"Nothing wrong with a handsome and modest man," Dana answered with a friendly smile. 

Clark felt Lois moved closer to him and wrapped an arm around his bicep. He looked at her to find her smiling and talking to Dana, but the proprietary manoeuvre left him dizzy with hope and speculation.

The doors to the quarter opened and Gabrielle walked in followed by two men. Her resigned look at Fox Mulder indicated that she knew him, Dana obviously recognised the two men. 

"Ambassadors Duncan and Connor Macleod, what a pleasure to see you again," Fox called out.

Lois and Clark looked at each other, now knowing who these men were. 

"Fox, why is it that whenever there is the possibility of trouble, we find you sniffing around?" Duncan Macleod asked with a resigned smile. 

"I don't have your resources, but I get by. What are you gentlemen doing here?" Fox asked. 

"We were with Lieutenant Covington when Lieutenant Commander Pappas called. We heard 'The Centre' being mentioned and decided that we should make an appearance," Connor explained. 

"Always nice to have a Federation Ambassador or two around when you need them. Shall I do the introductions? Xena Pappas and Janice Covington, Starfleet Security officers. Clark Kent and Lois Lane, reporters for the Daily Galaxy. My partner, Doctor Dana Scully and Jarod T Kirk, ex Centre resident," Fox stated.

"Jarod T. Kirk, that's a little obvious isn't it? Choosing the name of one of the most famous Starfleet officers in history as your identity," Duncan commented with a hint of amusement. 

"I was once told that the best place to hide was in plain sight. It works Ambassador Macleod," Jarod answered. 

"Well it must have because you're a hard man to find." Connor replied. 

"You've been looking for him?" Fox exclaimed. 

"Despite what your ego is telling you, you're not the only one who thinks that something smells rotten in the state of Denmark, Agent Mulder," Connor said simply, completely deflating Fox, and earning life long admirers all around the room. For a diplomat, Connor Macleod had an unusually blunt manner of dealing with people. 

"There is no need to get to get nasty," he said in a hurt puppy manner as the door opened to reveal a man and three young ensigns. 

"Rupert Giles, talk about old home week," Fox said with smile, glad that he could take the attention off himself for a little while. 

"Fox Mulder, someone really dredged the bottom of the barrel this time," Giles said haughtily. 

"At least I haven't been hanging around kindergartens to get my team. Couldn't you have at least waited until they were eating solids before you dragged them along," Fox stated jokingly, not noticing the wide-eyed looks that were appearing all over the room. He was also not aware of how people were moving back slightly. 

"Watch it mister," the cute little blonde stated with a dangerous tone. 

"Beat it cheerleader," he quipped.

****

Part 18

When Fox Mulder finally came to, he found himself being tended to by his partner and Lieutenant Covington. He was sore all over. He looked to see Clark Kent, Xena Pappas and Connor Macleod were holding the little blonde ensign back, and they were struggling to do so. The red headed ensign and the tall, skinny male ensign were attempting to calm her down. The fact that five people were required to restrain her, indicated to Mulder that he had underestimated just how dangerous she was. 

"She packs quite a punch," Fox commented as he was helped to his feet. 

"She should, she's been trained by the best. Not to mention having an in built desire to cause grievous bodily harm." Giles answered with an immensely cheesy grin on his face. 

"Buffy, have you calmed down?" the little red head asked. 

"Is that jerk going to apologise?" Buffy asked. 

"I apologise ensign. I was way out of line. Please forgive me," Fox said quickly, hypothesising that if he didn't do that, they would most let her go another round on him. 

They let her go, and Fox noticed how the three adults who had held her back, watched her with a type of wary fascination. Fox looked at the three young ensigns and saw something special in all of them. Obviously they were meant to be here. 

"Can I get you all a drink. I think everyone is here," Xena stated as the door opened and Harm Rabb and Meg Austin arrived in the room. 

"Hi all, did we miss anything?" Harm asked. 

"As I recall, you weren't invited," Fox stated coldly. 

"Jeez Fox, just because Clayton Webb does me favours and not you, doesn't meant you need to have a tantrum." Harm stated as he observed Fox's less than complimentary appearance. He looked around the room and his eyes fell on Ensign Summers. 

"He's still conscious Ensign, I expect better from an Academy graduate," he stated with an amused grin. 

"I'll do better next time sir," she answered with a giggle as Fox flushed.

Duncan was impressed. Harm Rabb looked like a hell for leather space jockey, yet he had surveyed the whole room and chosen Buffy as the one who had beaten up Fox Mulder, despite the fact that there were tougher looking people in the room. It was a very eclectic group that had congregated in these quarters. Yet they were all part of this in some way. They may have independent agendas, but their ultimate goal was similar enough to allow them to work together. 

"Okay Jarod, start talking. Tell them everything that you know about The Centre. If they're working with the Dominion, then our first objective is to take down The Centre." Fox stated as Jarod started telling them. 

The end of his speech shocked the whole group. Noone had thought that this level of abuse could still be allowed to happen within the Federation. They might have dismissed Jarod's words as part of a persecution complex, but he was so bluntly honest that everyone felt horrified for him, and angry at The Centre for doing this to him. 

"They've got a team after me. Doctor Sydney Green was my mentor and conditioner. I consider him like the father I never knew. He would get away from The Centre if he could, but they've got a hand on his heart," Jarod started. 

"A Doctor Sydney Green arrived on the station this afternoon. Odo told me to keep an eye on them. He was with a woman he described as a real bitch. There was also a nondescript, balding man man. Apparently the woman really pissed Odo off, which is a feat in itself." Gabrielle stated. 

"Noone ever accused Miss Parker of being Miss subtle. She gets on nerves without much effort. She is the daughter of one of The Centre's directors," Jarod stated with a wry grin. 

"But she is more to you than your hunter, isn't she Jarod?" Duncan asked himself. He had seen the look on Jarod's face when he mentioned Miss Parker. There were obviously numerous unresolved issues between the two. 

"We'll keep an eye on that group, and we'll have the rest of the security team do the same. It they come anywhere near you, we'll arrest them," Xena stated. 

****

Part 19

"Captain Sisko, come to operations," Dax said urgently as Benjamin hurried out of his office. 

"What's so urgent?" he asked. 

"We show elevated neutrino levels, a wormhole is opening," she answered. 

"The Dominion?" he asked stiffly. She gave him a stunned look and then her face showed recognition. 

"Let me rephrase that Benjamin, a wormhole is due to open, right in the middle of operations," Dax answered as Ben gave her a shocked look. 

"What?" he asked as blue light permeated the room. 

Suddenly a smaller version of the Bajoran wormhole opened right in front of his office. As they watched, a man came flying out of it and landed in a heap, followed by two others, another man and a woman. 

"Dammit Q-Ball, next time, you slide first. I'm sick of getting landed on," the first man stated. 

"Sorry, it's the wormhole, it does these things," the other man stated. 

The woman was looking around and said, "Guys, we're not in San Fransisco any more. I don't even think we're on earth," the woman stated. 

"Security to operations immediately," Dax stated as the three stood up and dusted themselves off. 

"Well, you speak English, that's a good start. My name is Maggie Beckett, this is Rembrandt Brown and Quinn Mallory," the woman stated. 

"The Quinn Mallory?" Dax stated. 

"Old man, do you know who these people are?" Benjamin asked her. 

"Back in the 20th century, Professor Maximillian Arturo, Quinn Mallory and Wade Wells disappeared from the basement of Quinn's home on San Fransisco. The law enforcement branch at the time reported that after investigation of the scene, they deduced that Quinn Mallory was involved in experiments that involved utilising the Einstein-Rosen-Podolsky Bridge to travel between parallel dimensions. His theories and equipment were regarded as nonsense. It was said that the equipment disintegrated the three of them." Dax explained as the three listened in silence.

"Wow, that was really cold blooded for a pretty lady," Rembrandt commented as Maggie and Quinn gave him a dirty look. 

"Can I trust you not to try and escape until we have this all worked out?" Ben asked.

"Sure, no worries brother," Rembrandt answered. 

"That's captain to you, Mr Brown. Mr Mallory, Miss Beckett if you'd come with me. Dax, you also, if I've got an expert, I'm going to use her," Benjamin stated. 

"The three realising that they had no choice, followed him into his office. 

"Would you care for something to drink?" he asked them after they had been seated. "A glass of water, a cold one. We've spent two weeks on a desert world and my throat feels like sandpaper," Rembrandt stated. 

"The same," Quinn said as Maggie nodded. "Two jugs of water, cold. Three glasses," Benjamin stated to the replicator. 

The asked for items appeared on the replicator pad. When Benjamin delivered the water to his guests they were looking at him in amazement. 

"Have you people heard of earth?" Rembrandt asked. 

"Of course we've heard of earth, Mr Rembrandt. I grew up in New Orleans. You are currently in a world where earth is part of a federation of planets and cultures. Mr science officer Jadxia Dax, is a Trill. Many species are part of the United Federation of Planets. In your language, the time is the 24th century," Ben stated. 

"I knew I should have taken a left turn at Alberquerque," Quinn quipped causing to Jadxia to break up laughing. 

"Something funny?" Ben asked.

"You like Bugs Bunny? I thought he would have become obsolete in the 24th century." Quinn asked with delight. 

"I have a couple of young ensigns with an obsession for 20th century television. They've been inducting my officers into their little group. We've become equally obsessed," Jadxia answered. 

"You wouldn't if you've seen as many variations as we have." Rembrandt grumbled. 

"Okay, enough of the stuffing around. We want the whole story." Benjamin stated, putting a halt to the conversation that was starting to develop. 

"How much time have we got here?" Maggie asked curiously. 

"The timer doesn't say. It appears we stuck here until we find out what's going on," Quinn answered. 

"Well then, lets tell the man the story and see if he thinks we're completely nuts," Rembrandt answered.

****

Part 20

"This is a space station?" Quinn stated as he looked out of one of the windows on the upper deck of the promenade and looked out. 

"Yes, Cardassian built but left to the Federation when Cardassia removed its occupation from Bajor. You picked a hell of a place to land." Jadxia answered. 

"We didn't pick it," Maggie stated testily, considering that Jadxia was paying too much attention to Quinn and vice versa.

"What in hell is that?" Rembrandt exclaimed as Jadxia looked up and smiled. 

"That is my fiance Worf," Jadxia stated. 

"Woof?" Rembrandt inquired. 

"No, Worf, son of Mogh of the House of Martok. He's a Klingon from the planet of Qo'nos." she answered. 

"These are the 'Sliders'?" Worf asked in a rumbling tone as he walked up. 

"Quinn Mallory, Maggie Beckett and Rembrandt Brown. This is Lieutenant Commander Worf," Jadxia stated as they all shook hands. 

"I will see you at the briefing." Worf answered before walking away. 

"Not much of a talker is he?" Maggie commented with a raised eyebrow. 

"No, but he has many fine qualities," Jadxia answered as she watched her fiance depart. 

"I'll bet he does. So what's this briefing that we're supposed to attend?" Maggie inquired. 

"We have received quite a few new people over the last couple of weeks, and have been able to determine that their arrival is not a coincidence. Each is here for a specific reason. We thought that if we were to all get together, we might be able to find out why you're here." Jadxia explained as Quinn started to nod his head.

"Sounds like a reasonable idea. Do you have others around here that might be familiar with my work?" Quinn asked.

"Yes, I'm sure we can find those well versed in both the theoretical and practical basis for your work. I'm guessing that you're looking to re-program your timer, to allow you to be able to choose your destination," Jadxia said as his eyes lit up.

"Wow, am I that transparent?" he asked. 

"No, but after listening to you talk, I thought that you might want to try it." Jadxia answered with a sweet smile.

****

Part 21

"Major, we show one mid size craft and twelve smaller craft coming out of warp. All show extensive damage. They appear to have been in a battle." Chief O'Brien stated to Major Kira.  


The rest of the senior staff were currently in a meeting with the Sliders, and while both Kira and O'Brien wished they were there, someone had to run the station.

"Open a channel to the largest vessel. Attention, this is Major Kira Nerys of the United Federation of Planets space station Deep Space Nine. Our sensors show that all your vessels are badly damaged, do you require assistance," she asked.

"We can only get audio," O'Brien stated.

"Sweetheart, you ain't joking. We need assistance really badly. We've got several wounded and some of those X-wings are being held together with willpower." A cocky male voice stated over the comm channel.

Kira hackles immediately rose at his cavalier manner. 

"Han, this ain't some backwards bar. Please excuse my husband's lack of tact. I am Leia Organa Solo. We have five injured pilots." A female voice stated politely. 

"The X-wings, I believe you called them, can dock in cargo bays 12 and 13. You can dock at docking port 6. I'm presuming our docking ports should be compatible. We will have medical personnel awaiting them." Major Kira answered. 

"Thankyou again, Major Nerys," Leia Organa Solo said. Kira decided not to correct her mistake. The woman sounded at the end of her tether. 

"Doctor Bashir and Doctor Harris report to cargo bays 12 and 13. We have multiple wounded coming. Captain Sisko; please meet me at docking port 6. Odo, we'll need security at cargo bays 12 and 13 and docking port 6," she said urgently before walking towards the elevator. 

"You have operations, Chief," she said with a smile. 

"I'll try and give it back to you in reasonable condition," he answered with that wide open Irish smile that always appealed to her. Out of all the Starfleet personnel, he was the most down to earth, and Bajorans being a blunt people appreciated it.

****

Part 22

Ben Sisko watched as the small brown haired woman in the dark, utilitarian clothing hovered over the sandy blonde haired man who was lying on the bed, being treated by Doctor Bashir. He was easily the worst injured of the 'X-wing pilots' yet the healing process seemed much easier on him.

"The kid has got to watch his ass. He's going to get it permanently fried one of these days," a cocky older man whom Ben had been introduced to as Han Solo, the husband of Leia Organa. 

"She seems to paying an awful amount of attention to that young pilot," Ben commented wryly. 

"It may not look it, but Luke is her twin brother. They were split after their birth, and they only learned of each other's existence, a couple of years ago." Han replied with a grin that indicated that he expected this sort of comment. 

"Doctor's Bashir and Harris are excellent doctors. I'm sure that all of your friends will get through without lasting effects." Ben stated. 

"From the way you and that guy 'Woof' are hovering, I'm guessing you're looking for answers. Leia ain't going to be much in the help department until Luke comes to. Is there somewhere we can talk?" Han asked as he indicated for the large hairy creature and the slim man in the orange jumpsuit to follow. 

Ben saw that while Han Solo might not consider himself a leader of men, others considered him in that fashion. Of course, usually the most unorthodox of men were considered the best leaders. James T Kirk was the most unorthodox man in Starfleet history, but his people would have followed him into the pit of hell. 

"My office," Ben answered as Worf fell in step. He was looking at the Wookie, Chewbacca, in an impressed and partially prospective manner. 

"Captain, do you mind if I join you?" Rupert Giles asked, interrupting them. 

"Why not, a Federation Liaison might be useful in this circumstance," Ben answered, though he didn't really believe it. 

Nonetheless, Rupert Giles was a man with incredible resources and knowledge. Ben had seen him in action before and he was the only person ever to stun Curzon Dax into silence. Giles would ask questions that Ben wouldn't think about. 

"Politicians," Han stated, gritting his teeth as Ben hid a grin. 

"Amen to that," he answered.

****

Part 23

"You don't scare me Miss Parker," Xena commented as she felt mirth as she looked at the woman who stood behind the force field in the brig. 

She had caught the three of them in the lower levels of the habitation ring attempting to break into the Starfleet files. This had given her a legitimate reason for locking them up. 

Strangely enough, Odo had greeted Miss Parker's incarceration with a certain amount of amusement. Right now, Miss Parker was trying to intimidate her, and while the act might have worked on someone else, Xena wasn't in the least bit worried. 

She looked at the three people who had been charged with re-capturing Jarod. The tall distinguished man with the grey hair and almost serene nature known as Doctor Sydney Green, a psychologist and expert in the field of behavioural modification. He had been Jarod's mentor, his guide and now he was Jarod's pursuant. 

The thin weedy man in the clothes that looked out of date, and whose hair was going. He was Broots and he was their technical support and had been in charge of breaking through their computer systems. He was really quite skilled, and if she hadn't put a hidden watchdog on the system, she never would have caught them. 

Finally Miss Parker. No first name there, but a lot of attitude. Obviously she was the muscle of this team. Xena had located three concealed weapons on her, when she had searched the woman. She was very attractive but she was trouble. 

"My father will have us out of here today," Miss Parker stated. 

"The Centre may have a lot of pull outside this station, but on DS9, Captain Benjamin Sisko is the boss, and he has enough problems to worry about without having a group of mercenaries trying to hot wire his computer system. He already knows and he's insisting that you remain there," Xena answered. 

The truth was that she had let Captain Sisko in on the whole theory. He had known something was up, and had insisted on hearing everything. Rather than being a hindrance, she had found Ben Sisko willing to play along with the freewheeling style of the game. He had also been irritated by Miss Parker, and upon hearing that Xena was locking her up, had grinned widely. 

****

Part 24

"Well Jarod, that's one problem out of the way," Gabrielle commented as she and Jarod watched Xena staring Miss Parker down. 

The two were standing in a room that looked into the brig covertly. They had taken him under their arm, and while he was taller than Xena, his innocence and naivety to many things that were commonplace to them, made them feel like he was a younger brother. He slept in the other bedroom of their quarters, because it had the best security system on the station. He liked to talk about people and she liked to talk, so they talked a lot. 

Strangely enough, he had talked about Miss Parker quite a bit. They had grown up together, in a way. He had been abducted from his parents, and then exploited by the Centre for his genius. She had been the daughter of one of The Centre directors. He had been locked up in a room when he wasn't working. She was allowed free run of the place. He had been someone that she could boss around. There was an attraction between them. He loved her, but she still had The Centre's claws in her, and she would return him to that hellhole, given the opportunity. He wanted her for his own, but he wasn't going to let her close enough to capture him. 

What a mess, Gabrielle thought to herself. When did love become so complicated? 

She thought about Xena and herself. They had been partnered at Starfleet Security. She had been a chatterbox, who won people over, even hardened criminals, with her frank open charm. Xena was the strong silent and homicidal type who had been reprimanded for excessive use of force more times than Gabrielle could conveniently count. Getting through that stoic facade had taken all of Gabrielle's skill. They had become friends. Becoming lovers had taken a lot longer, because Xena had many issues that she still needed to work out. Still, that final transition had been worth it, because it had given them more joy that they could ever have hoped for alone. Discovering that their ancestors had a common relationships had strengthened their bond to the point where nothing could break it. 

Jarod loved a woman yet he couldn't trust or turn his back on her for a second, and love without trust was like a balloon without air.

"Captain Sisko will ensure they stay there," Jarod stated confidently. 

When the two men had met three days ago, Gabrielle had had her doubts about how the captain would take it. The way they related had surprised both her and Xena. Both Ben Sisko and Jarod had been hurt by life. Their loved ones had been ripped from them and they were making do with what they had. By the end of the meeting, Ben Sisko was firmly in Jarod's corner, and had placed his support behind the group who were going to help him. 

"Miss Parker has ensured that. She really needs to read 'How to Win Friends and Influence People', because the captain is usually an even tempered man," Gabrielle stated as she grinned widely. 

She was remembering the captain's remark after talking to Miss Parker in the brig. He had stormed out of the office and sharply remarked, "I would rather marry Gul Dukat and have his children than spend another moment with that bitch."

"She can be nice, she just hasn't been encouraged to be." Jarod defended her. Xena walked into the room at that point. 

"Are you sure that you don't want me to take her out into a holosuite for an hour of my personal practice sessions. Or maybe we could organise for Ensign Summers to be in there with her," Xena suggested. 

Gabrielle laughed at that. Ensign Buffy Summers had received counselling from many sections on how to calm her temper, but that burst of relentless energy remained with her. Gabrielle truly believed that they could leave Buffy in the midst of a group of Jem Hadar warriors and allow her to mop them up. She was a good fighter when she was calm, but when she lost her temper, even Xena had problems containing her. Buffy lapped up the attention. All those warriors on board DS9 invariably came to her to test their skills, and in being their opponent she had learned an incredible amount. 

****

Part 25

"Bitch alert, who let her out of the brig?" Xander Harris asked as Miss Parker walked into the bar and froze in her tracks.

"Now you're pushing your luck Xander. Settle down," Willow warned him as Miss Parker walked over.

"Chill Wil," Xander stated. 

He had worked this all out with Lieutenant Commander Pappas. She had seen how unconsciously offensive he could be when he was around people he didn't like. Since they couldn't hold Miss Parker in the brig, Xena had thought that it was better to keep her off balance most of the time. If she took a swing at anyone she'd be going right back into the brig, so he could pretty much get her pissed off and he was relatively safe. He didn't mind take a hit for the team. After what Jarod had been through, getting hit by a woman was the least of Xander's problems.

"What did you say, cretin?" Miss Parker asked as she walked over. Willow shrunk behind him.

"I am Xander, king of the cretins, may all lesser cretins bow before me," Xander stated in a mock dramatic manner, sweeping his arm over the whole room in an extravagant gesture. Everyone started laughing.

"One day, you wimp," Miss Parker growled as she walked over to the bar.

"Xander, are you insane. That woman would wipe the floor with you," Willow exclaimed. 

"I'm a doctor, I can repair the damage," Xander answered.

"It would be a case of 'physician, heal thyself'. Nicely done Xander, a little excessive but very cleverly done," Xena said as he appeared beside them, causing them to jump.

"Jeez Commander, what are you trying to do, give me heart failure. How's it all going?" Xander asked. 

"Well, but we need Ensign Rosenberg's unique programming skills. Think you can continue on without backup?" Xena asked. 

"Morn's keeping an eye on me, and I wouldn't be surprised if Constable Odo's metamorphosed into something like a chair around here. I might actually get into a conversation with her," Xander explained.

"Just don't go overboard, we want her off balance not homicidal," Xena answered as she and Willow moved back from the table and went out the door. 

Xander turned to see Miss Parker walking away from the bar. She was being kept under station arrest, and couldn't go anywhere without some security officer following.

"Miss Parker, grab a seat," he offered calmly.

"Why would I want to sit with you?" she asked sharply. 

Xander shook his head. What a waste for such an incredibly beautiful woman to have such a chip on her shoulder. Or maybe it was because she had the chip on her shoulder that made her beautiful. Her features, taken as separate parts, wouldn't be considered beautiful, yet together they gave a striking appearance. An appearance that caused men to stop and watch her. She also dressed to maximise her assets. Xander could have melted into a pool of adolescent fantasy if this hadn't been for some other reason than keeping her off balance.

"Because in case you haven't noticed, there are no spare tables, and I'm the only one offering. Of course, you could go and sit with those Norsiccans, but I think you'll find the conversation a little elemental," he replied calmly.

"Fine, thank you for letting me sit down," she spat out.

"Tell me about yourself Miss Parker." He said as he signalled for the waiter to bring another round of synthales. 

"I thought everyone on the station knew all about my life." She said sardonically.

"I know that you've spent your whole life in your father's shadow. Join the club Miss Parker." He said as he raised his mug in a mock salute.

"Oh really, what would you know about it?" she asked.

"My father is Doctor Michael Harris. I see by the glint in your eyes that you recognise the name. Just imagine having to try and compete with that reputation. I had to come out this far just to get away from him," Xander stated, the bitterness in his voice evident.

He didn't know why he was telling her this, hell he hadn't even told Willow and Buffy this. But it seemed right to tell this woman. He almost felt sorry for her. She looked like life had hurt her on numerous occasions, and she was protecting herself as best she could, but closing up emotionally and being a bitch. 

"For as long as I could remember, I've always been compared to my father. I sometimes wonder whether he preferred a boy. I would have preferred to be like my mother, but after her death, I had to be cold as ice," Miss Parker said. 

"How did she die?" Xander asked.

"They said it was suicide. She was found in a turbo-lift at the Centre with a laser pistol in her hand," Miss Parker answered, her composure slipping slightly.

"You don't believe that, do you. You believe that they killed her, and you also believe that they'll kill you if you try and get away from them," Xander stated as she started and looked at him strangely.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"An incredibly perceptive young man, Miss Parker. Exactly what is keeping you at the Centre? Your father, I doubt it. Money, they couldn't pay you enough to stay if you didn't want you to. Security, how secure would you feel, knowing that you might meet your mother's fate," he said bluntly. 

"So, are you telling me to just walk away. They'd find me," Miss Parker stated, though there was a faint hope in her mind.

"They can't find everybody, and there are one or two that they haven't been able to find. If you ask for help, you will receive it," he said.

****

Part 26

"Alexander, I hadn't expected to hear from you," Doctor Michael Harris commented over the view screen, as he sat back in his office chair and put his feet on the desk.

"Hello father, how are you doing?" Xander asked simply. He remembered the old earth dentistry technique of using a pair of pliers to remove teeth. It was apparently a painful procedure. That was the only feeling he could compare with talking with his father. The famed doctor was always harping on about what he considered the bad choices in Xander's life. Xander would grit his teeth and keep it civil. He had learned a long time ago not to get upset.

"Just fine. The Nobel Institute is giving me an award in the field of humanitarianism. I hope you will be able to take yourself away from your cowboy games on the frontier, to be there," Doctor Michael Harris asked.

"Father, you're always receiving awards. The whole horse and cart routine gets fairly monotonous after a while, you know. Besides, I've been involved in some fairly unique scientific discoveries lately myself, so you should be reading about them soon," Xander answered calmly. 

That was the only way to get through to his father. Don't let him see that he's got you.

"Yes, working with Doctor Julian Bashir is a feather in your cap. An admirable young man, even though he was genetically engineered," his father commented.

"There are some times when the ends justify the means, I believe this is one of those cases. What nature gave you and I, science gave him. But enough of the pleasantries, what do you know about the Centre?" Xander asked. 

This had been the real reason for his communique. His father travelled in some interesting circles, and had some powerful friends. He would undoubtedly know something.

"So you finally figured it out. It only took you 23 years," his father said as Xander gritted his teeth to stop from talking.

'What in hell did his father mean by that,' he thought to himself. His only way of finding out was to lead his father in the right direction without actually indicating how much he knew.

"I wasn't expecting to have to go looking for it," Xander said.

"You were inferior, both mentally and physically, something that a man of my stature could not have. Mr Raines at the Centre offered me a good deal. Though you still managed to screw that up. You could have been a genetically engineered superman, but it didn't meshe with you. So, while you're better than most people, you're not in a class I would have wanted," his father answered.

"Now that I've found out. I'd like to have all the documents you kept. And don't even try and tell me that you haven't got any, because I know for a fact that you don't even blow your nose without keeping a record." Xander said, every ounce of will power being used in the struggle to keep from completely losing it.

To find out he was genetically engineered was almost like finding he was abandoned and adopted as a baby. Twenty- three years of perceived truth had gone right down the drain. 'Don't give the bastard the satisfaction,' he thought to himself.

"I'm transmitting the information. We'll talk some time later. I have a dinner party to go to," his father said as he shut off the transmission. 

****

Part 27

Willow was going over some security programming with Xena Pappas, Gabrielle Covington, Worf and Odo, when she felt the tension around her and looked up. Miss Parker had just entered the room and while she had been relatively amiable over the last couple of days, none wanted to test it.

"Can we help you?" Xena asked in a neutral tone.

"I'm looking for Doctor Harris," Miss Parker answered.

Willow could see the defenceless look in her eyes. This was a woman undergoing a massive emotional upheaval.

"If you're sick, go to the medbay," Worf suggested.

"I tried that, and noone has seen him for two days. He was supposed to be on break for those days, and noone will tell me what cabin he's in." Miss Parker answered.

"Just so you don't feel the urge to sneak around again," Xena said firmly, but was halted from saying anything further by her partner.

"Why do you need to see Xander?" Gabrielle asked.

"He told me that when I needed help, to come to him. I need help. Everything I've ever believed in has crumbled around my eyes. He reached out to me, he understands," Miss Parker answered, keeping up the tough manner that looked like it was cracking.

"Computer, locate Doctor Xander Harris," Willow said, tapping her comm badge.

"Doctor Xander Harris is currently in his quarters," the computer answered.

"Ask him to come to security ops," Willow answered.

"Doctor Harris has put a high priority lockout on all communications directed to his quarters, unable to comply," the computer answered as all looked at each other.

A high priority lockout could only be countermanded if the commander of the station issued a red alert.

"Doctor Bashir," Worf stated.

"Yes commander?" Julian asked over the comm channel.

"When was the last time you saw Xander?" Worf asked.

"Three days ago, he contacted me over the comm channel about taking some time off. He's been putting in so many hours that I could afford to let him go," Julian answered.

"Computer, when was the last time Doctor Harris left his quarters?" Xena asked urgently.

"Unable to comply, authorisation restricted," the computer said.

"Override restriction, Odo Alpha Seven," Odo stated.

"Working. Doctor Harris last left his quarters, stardate 48913.4," the computer said.

"Xander does not stay in his quarters for three days," Wllow stated urgently.

"Maybe he's got company?" Xena suggested.

"Buffy and I would have heard. Xander doesn't keep secrets from us," Willow stated.

"Listen little girl, these big bad Starfleet officers may want to make excuses and hypothesis' but I like that kid and I intend to find out if he's alright. You with me?" Miss Parker asked Willow.

"Lets go," Willow answered as she walked out of the room.

"Doctor Bashir, meet us outside Xander's quarters," Xena said as Gabrielle gave her a curious look.

"Just in case," Xena commented with a shrug.

****

Part 28

"Xander, open this door up or we're going to bust it down," Xena exclaimed through the intercom.

After a long while the door finally opened and Xander stuck his head out. He looked terrible, you would have been blind not to see it. His skin was a greyish tinge, his eyes were bloodshot and the bags underneath them could have doubled for sleeping bags. His shoulders were slumped and his face was the picture of a three-day growth. His hair was messier than it normally was. The aroma that came from him was consistent with three days without a shower.

"Don't you people have any work to do? Why are you hanging around my quarters?" he asked.

"We were worried about, and considering how you look, we have every right to be," Gabrielle stated.

"Get out of my face," he growled as he turned around and walked back into his cabin.

They followed him in, wanting to get to the bottom of his behaviour. Every section of his quarters was filled with empty food containers, PADDs and other research material. It almost reminded Willow of their academy exams cramming sessions, except those never had this type of desperate intensity about them.

" 'Genetic engineering principles and practice'. 'Manipulation of D.N.A'. 'What you want and what you got'. Xander, what are you doing with these books? They've been all but ostracised since the Genetics Wars," Julian asked. 

Being genetically engineered himself he was very up on the literature involved. Right now, Xander had a list of the most incendiary books in the whole galaxy. It was said that the creator of the Khan's used these books.

"You're not looking to genetically engineer yourself are you, Xander?" Willow chuckled worriedly.

"Ancient history Wil, its already happened," Xander stated as he stumbled around the room. 

He tossed a PADD in Julian's direction. Julian's genetically enhanced reflexes made it easy for him to catch it deftly. He started to read from it.

"Is this all for real?" Julian asked after he had finished reading.

"What is it?" Gabrielle asked.

"Its is the medical report into the genetic enhancement process that was done on me at the Centre. And I quote 'while Alexander Harris shows marked improvement in I.Q. reflexes, dexterity etc, certain congenital defects have begun to emerge. He shows a distinct lack of ambition, concentration and the like. It is our belief that while he will excel past most human beings, he will never be considered a genetically superior being'," Xander stated, the venomous bitterness quite evident in his voice.

"So what's with the rest of this?" Xena asked. 

She knew that he was feeling pretty lousy about himself at the moment, and it appeared his research was the only thing that stopped him falling in a heap, so she nudged him in the right direction.

"Why would the Dominion need help from the Centre. They've been able to genetically engineer whole species of humanoids. The Jem Ha'dar aren't what you would call a naturally occurring species. Maybe the Centre has something that the Dominion need. Anyway, I've been putting together a report on what that might be, but there is only one way I'm going to know for sure," Xander stated.

"And that's where I come in. Fine, I'll get you in, but if you get caught, you gotta find your own way out," Miss Parker said.

"I can do that. Where can I find a Doctor Raines?" Xander asked. 

"Raines? What the hell do you want with that black lunged son of a bitch?" Miss Parker asked.

"He's the one that messed with D.N.A, I want a piece of him," Xander answered.

"That line forms to the left. When do you want to leave?" she asked.

"The moment I can get some time off," Xander answered.

"HOLD IT!" a voice yelled, causing all to turn around.

Of all the people in the room who could be depended on, to yell on occasion, the one who was the instigator was the least likely.

Willow Rosenberg stood in the middle of Xander's quarters, her hands on her hips and a dangerous look in her eyes.

"If you think for one second that I'm going to allow you to go off and get yourself killed, after all the work I've put into you over the years, you're crazy," she said.

"Wil, this doesn't concern you. It has to be done, and I'm probably one of the most able people to do it," Xander growled.

"It does concern me, everything you do concerns me," she answered.

"Don't you think this is taking friendship a little too far?" he asked.

"Who said anything about friendship?" she yelled, and realising what she was saying, shut her mouth and started to blush.

"This is going too fast for all of us. Xander, have a shower and shave and meet us in the Captain's office. We'll have food for you, and you can give us the whole report. I'm not going to allow you to go off on some fool escapade without backup. Miss Parker, as our Centre liaison, would you please accompany me?" Xena asked Xander who was doing a passable imitation of a stunned mullet as he stared at a deeply blushing Willow.

"Centre liaison?" Miss Parker asked.

"You want out of the octopi tentacles then you might as well start now," Xena answered.

****

Chapter 29

"I never knew," Xander said softly after everyone had left the cabin.

"I'm very good at keeping secrets. I was hoping that you would see me before this all came out," she answered.

"Buffy knows," he commented, not surprised. It was a well-known fact that Buffy and Willow told each other everything.

"Since the start." Willow said.

"What attracted you to me. The fact that I was emotionally crippled or insecure?" he asked.

"A bit of both and more. You don't give yourself enough credit Xander. You may say that you're emotionally crippled, but you love your friends wholeheartedly, you love them enough to make them love you back. Sure you may be genetically engineered, sure you may be lower than dirt according to your father, but your also my Xander and I would accept no substitutes," she answered.

"I am so tempted to give you a big kiss," he said. 

"What's stopping you?" she asked.

"I stink, and I don't want you holding your breath. I'm going for a shower," he said softly.

"Hurry back, you owe me a kiss and I intend to call in this I.O.U," she said with a smile.

Tired, confused, and yet feeling happier than he had in a long time, Xander walked into the other room and stripped off his clothes.

****

Part 30

Buffy Summers looked around the large office. Fortunately it was large enough by half for the large group of people who were around. There were the senior officers of DS9. Then came Xena Pappas & Gabrielle Covington, Meg Austin & Harm Rabb, Fox Mulder & Dana Scully, Lois Lane & Clark Kent, Jarod, Miss Parker, Broots & Sydney Green, Duncan & Connor Macleod, Maggie Beckett, Quinn Mallory & Rembrandt Brown, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker & Wedge Antilles, and last but not least, her & Giles. There were only two people missing, Xander & Willow and she was starting to wonder where they were.

"Ladies and gentlemen, sit down it you can find a seat. This is going to be a long session. Most of what I'm going to tell you, is not established fact or truth. For the most part, they are theories and informed guesses," Xander stated as he walked into the room, carrying a heap of PADDs and other material. Willow followed him, carrying an equal amount of stuff.

When she put her stuff down on the table, she smiled at Xander. He returned the smile and took her hand in his for a long second. Buffy nearly swallowed her tongue. These were not the smiles and touches from two old friends. These were intimate smiles from those who were at the least, boyfriend/girlfriend, at the most, lovers. What had she missed?

Soon, all thoughts of what was going on between the two dissolved as Xander began to spin a wonderful tale.

Several were skeptical, several were curious, but all were fascinated by what he was saying. When he finished, Fox Mulder asked, "Very well done, but how can you be so sure?"

"My father is a very famous doctor. Just mentioning his name allows many doors to be opened that would otherwise remain shut, even to people like you. If I'm right and I know I am, it has something to do with genetic engineering. And that means the science community. We're a fairly exclusive sort of bunch, and we don't suffer strangers lightly," Xander answered.

"He's right Mulder, finally this is all starting to make sense," Dana commented as Mulder gave his partner a shocked look.

This was not how it was supposed to work between the two. He was the one who was willing to believe, while she was the skeptical one.

"Doctor Bashir?" Captain Sisko asked curiously.

"I have to agree, but as Xander has said before, there is only one way we're going to be able to find out. Miss Parker said she could get us into the Centre's current base. I say we take it and run with it," Julian answered.

"Who do we sent in?" Captain Sisko asked.

"Simple, Doctor Bashir, Doctor Scully and myself," Xander answered.

"How do you work that out?" Captain Sisko asked.

"We three have the best reasons for being there. Doctor Bashir is a highly respected doctor, who has worked for and against the Dominion, he is also genetically engineered. Doctor Scully is a well- known forensic pathologist. As for me, I was genetically engineered by the Centre, and my father is Doctor Michael Harris. The rest of you don't have a legitimate excuse for being there and would be regarded more suspiciously. Plus we have certain skills that help us to understand the scientific make up of what is going," Xander explained and everyone realised that he was right.

"I think that I should also be present," Luke Skywalker stated calmly, causing everyone to turn and look at the young man.

Very few knew what to make of the young man who carried himself with the confidence and assurance of one 30 years older than him. All were aware of his command of the Force, a mystical psionic energy that enabled the master to access a great number of mental powers.

"Do you think that's wise Luke? We're not dealing with humanoids here. Is very likely that we'll run up against changelings," Doctor Bashir asked.

"Odo and I have been experimenting. The Force affect changelings as it affects humanoids. The Force permeates all sections of life," Luke answered, almost prophetically.

"That's what we said about the prophets," Kira commented almost bitterly.

"It is very likely that your prophets, and all the deities of other cultures are just manifestations of the force," Luke answered.

"What about evil, is that a manifestation of the force?" Giles asked.

"The force is neither good or evil. It is what people use for that determines whether it is Light or Dark. The dark side of the force is more seductive, more powerful to start, and ultimately more corrupting. Those who follow the light side must train and study long and hard, to gain the power that those who follow the dark side get almost from the start. Ultimately, the light is victorious, every time," Luke explained.

"I wish I had your confidence in ultimate conclusion of the conflict between light and dark," Giles replied.

"He never promised you a rose garden, Mr Giles," Harm quipped. 

"Enough of the philosophical discussions. I think that we've done enough talking. Now is the time for action. Our little group has obviously come together for a reason, and its time to find out what it is. I don't intend on being a unilateral leader of this group, but I am willing to act as a chairperson of sorts," Ben Sisko stated as all nodded their heads.

"I think I should go also. If Miss Parker arrives back at the Centre by herself, they could get suspicious," Sydney stated.

"Sydney, when I'm finished there, I'm leaving and disappearing. If they see you involved, they'll kill you," Parker said softly.

"Miss Parker, I've spent the better part of my life, tampering with the minds of everyday people. I've done many bad things in my time, and now its time to make amends," Sydney replied firmly, indicating that he wouldn't be swayed.

"Mind if I stay behind. I've finally managed to get my daughter away from the Centre's clutches. Holding up here, with a group of trustworthy people, sounds like an ideal plan," Broots stated.

"Good idea," Sydney replied.

"Very well, Sydney comes with us. I think that while Doctor Bashir, Doctor Scully, Luke, Miss Parker and myself are investigating the Centre, someone should have a look in on Federation and Starfleet Headquarters. I'm sure that we wouldn't want the changelings finding out about this little gathering," Xander said.

"I can take Federation HQ. I've been sneaking around there for years," Fox stated. 

"You need backup, it's a big place," Duncan Macleod commented.

"Who do you suggest?" Fox inquired.

"Let's keep it a fairly civilian affair. Lois Lane & Clark Kent myself and Connor and Rupert Giles. Between us, we should have enough contacts in the UFP to get anywhere," Duncan explained. 

"I may not know your system of government, but I know how politicians think. I'd like to come along," Leia Organa stated.

"Not without me you ain't hunny," Han Solo growled. 

"Come on Han, you'd stick out like a sore thumb," Leia answered.

"Your lady is right Mr Solo. You are many things, but you're not diplomatic." Giles said, as Han gave him a dirty look, before nodding his acquiesce.

"Don't worry Han, I'm sure we'll be able to find something we can use your unique skills for," Captain Sisko stated.

"So, Ensign Harris will lead the Centre infiltration team (C.I.T), Fox Mulder will lead the Federation HQ infiltration team (F.I.T), what about the Starfleet HQ infiltration team (S.I.T)?" Ben asked.

Xena and Harm looked at each other for a little while before Harm nodded.

"Xena can take point on this mission, I'll be her 2ic. Between the two of us, we should manage to be able to get out of as much trouble as we get into," he said.

"And your team?" Ben asked.

"Let's keep this a Starfleet affair. Harm and I, Gabrielle and we'll take Worf and Willow along. We're going to need a hacker and a Starfleet trained tactics and strategy officer never goes astray." Xena said.

Buffy felt disappointed, but noted how Xander looked. He was obviously not looking forward to letting Willow out of his sight, but if he had to, it would be with three of the best security officers that Starfleet had to offer and a JAG lawyer as well.

"Captain, we've got extras, I was thinking that if we're putting together a guerilla type operation, we should get some help from the professionals," Kira Nerys commented.

"The Maquis?" he asked as she nodded.

"Who are the Maquis?" Han asked curiously.

"They used to be freedom fighters, but ever since the Dominion massacred most of them, they've become terrorists, gun runners, smugglers and the like," Kira said.

"Then sweetheart, you can add Chewie and me into you little team, because we've waded around in that filth for most of our lives, plus Wedge's worked for the rebellion, so he knows what's going down," Han answered.

Kira gave him a pissed off look before looking to his wife.

Leia just grinned in resignation and said, "He's an aggravating bastard, but he's got mercenary instincts that no-one on this station can match."

"Count me in," Maggie Beckett stated.

"I'm with you Maggie, Q ball?" Rembrandt Brown said.

"I'm going to stay behind and work on the timer, but it appears that who we have left are a group of highly resourceful people with a lot of experience in Science, Technology and Mechanics. I'm sure if we put our heads together, we can figure out some sort of mechanical nightmare to poke into the spokes of the Dominion." Quinn answered as he looked at Miles, Jadxia, Meg and Broots.

All started to grin evilly, in the manner of mad scientists.

"Very well, you're the Technological Research Team (T.R.T), and Kira's team will be the Maquis Infiltration team (M.I.T)." Ben said.

****

Starfleet HQ Infiltration Team **(S.I.T)-** Lieutenant Commander Xena Pappas, Lieutenant Commander Harmon Rabb, Lieutenant Commander Gabrielle Covington, Lieutenant Commander Worf, Ensign Willow Rosenberg.

****

Federation HQ Infiltration Team (F.I.T)-Special Agent Fox Mulder, Ambassador Duncan Macleod, Ambassador Connor Macleod, Lois Lane, Clark Kent, Federation Liaison Rupert Giles and Princess Leia Organa.

****

Centre Infiltration Team (C.I.T)- Doctor Xander Harris, Doctor Dana Scully, Doctor Julian Bashir, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, Doctor Sydney Green and Miss Parker.

****

Maquis Infiltration Team (M.I.T)- Major Kira Nerys, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Rembrandt Brown, Maggie Beckett and Captain Wedge Antilles.

****

Technological Research Team (T.R.T)- Quinn Mallory, Lieutenant Commander Jadxia Dax, Lieutenant Meg Austin, Chief Miles O'Brien.

****

Part 31

"What about the rest of us, we don't appreciate sitting on our hands?" Buffy commented, realising she had been forgotten about.

"Who's left?" Benjamin asked as he looked around.

"That would be myself and Ensign Summers," Jarod commented.

"You could join with one of the other teams," Xena suggested.

"We have a human chameleon and a sweet and innocent looking young lady who can take on Klingons and win. Maybe we should be kept in reserve for the moment until it's determined exactly what is happening out there," Jarod said.

"Not liking this Pretender boy," Buffy quipped.

"Deal with it Ensign, we have much more to worry about than keeping you amused." Jarod barked, causing all of them to jump.

For the most part he was a gentle, even-tempered and curious man. They didn't think he could yell at them. Those military academy graduates in the group, recognised a Drill Instructor voice, one designed to shock the recipient into silence and keep them in place. It stood to reason that he could pretend to be anything, so he could do a D.I. voice.

"Yes sir," Buffy said, automatically snapping to attention, and then gawked at him in shock.

"I think its time that we split up and discuss our various tasks with our groups. I want a mission statement for each group on my desk in 24 hours. Then I'll start organising transport for everyone." Captain Sisko stated.

****

Part 32

"Are you sure this thing flies?" Kira asked as she walked into the cockpit of the grandly named, 'Millenium Falcon'.

"She might not look like much, but she's got it where it counts. I've made certain adjustments," Han Solo said as he smiled reminiscently.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Nothing, I just said pretty much the same thing to Luke Skywalker, when he first saw the Falcon. Good Memories," he explained.

"I'll bet, I'm not to familiar with the controls, so you're going to have to give me some instructions on how to fly this thing," Kira said as she heard a growl from behind her, that sounded suspiciously like the phrase, 'oh shit'.

"Hang on there sister, you may be mission commander, but you're piloting the Falcon over my dead body," Han protested. 

"We could be out there for a week, trying to find maquis territory, you plan to fly all that time?" she asked.

"That's what we have automatic pilot for sister. No-one pilots the Falcon but me and Chewie," Han stated.

"Don't bother arguing with him Major, he's a Corellian, and when he gets his back up, no-one can move him," Wedge stated as he entered the cockpit.

"Men!" Kira stated as she turned around and stormed out. 

"Hey guys, that Major with the funny nose nearly walked through me. Who upset her?" Rembrandt asked as he entered the cockpit.

"That would be Han," Wedge answered.

"Couldn't help it. What an attitude," Han cursed.

"I know, extra large and 'oh my god'. Quite a looker though," Rembrandt answered with a prospective grin.

Han had to smile, sure they looked different and had different names but Rembrandt Brown was as extravagant, charming and flirtatious as Lando Calrissian, his old friend. He reckoned the two would get along very well.

"I just hope she can keep it under control while we're scaring up these Maquis," Han said as he started pre-flight.

He looked out of the window and saw Leia standing alone at DS9's docking port. She looked alone but strong. 

"Don't worry babe, this galaxy ain't big enough to keep us apart," he said, assuring himself as much as he assured himself.

She smiled, as if she had heard what he had said, which was very possible considering her Jedi powers. He winked at her as the ion engines kicked in. 

"Han Solo, if you lead foot this piece of junk out of the docking ring, I'm going to drive this hydro-spanner up somewhere painful," a voice yelled from down the corridor.

He grinned widely. He was off on another trek with a bad tempered woman on board. Thank the force he didn't have to deal with that prissy, annoying droid, C-3PO.

****

Part 33

"He'll be alright. I've known some survivors in my time," Lois Lane stated as she walked up to Leia, who was taxiing out of DS9's docking ring.

"I know, but every time he goes off on one of his fool escapades, I never know if he's coming back. That man gets into more trouble, getting out of bed, than most men do when they go looking for it," Leia answered.

"I'm sure the rest will be able to temper his instincts. Come on, the transport is ready to take us to earth," Lois answered.

"The teams has decided to split up, to ensure that they didn't alert the wrong people, to what they were doing. Because of the frequency of space traffic going through DS9, it was easy to organise transport on various vessels. Fox would be travelling with Rupert Giles. Leia would be travelling with the Ambassador's Macleod. Lois and Clark would be on the same luxury transport, but they would pretend they had only just met.

Leia nodded as she turned and followed Lois towards the transport. The pushy and stubborn reporter fascinated her more than a little. She obviously ran on instinct and high emotion. She was obviously deeply in love with her partner, but didn't want to make anything of it. Leia decided to have a nice long talk to Lois on the way back to Earth.

****

Part 34

"I don't know what you did Xander, but the Centre has insisted that I show you the red carpet treatment. They even told me to forget about my search for Jarod. What sort of strings are you pulling?" Miss Parker asked.

"Its amazing what doors open, when you threaten your father with revealing how he had his own son genetically engineered, especially a father as powerful as my mine. He was willing to do anything to keep that piece of information from his buddies in the medical field," Xander answered.

"That is very ruthless Doctor Harris," Sydney commented.

"I'm glad you approve. The simple fact is the world Miss Parker and I grew up in, left very little room for mistakes. You take every opportunity you can get, and you never turn your back anyone," Xander said.

"I couldn't have put it better myself," Miss Parker answered.

"I can see where they're coming from, except my childhood was one of hiding my specialised skills and I.Q." Julian commented.

"My father always wanted boys. I had planned to join Starfleet and be like him. The next best thing was Federation Security, or so I thought, he didn't," Dana piped in.

"Well Sydney, it appears that having you along on this little jaunt, might just pay dividends. You have a bunch of screwed up people to practice your psychobabble on," Miss Parker commented bitterly.

"The problems stem from the same root. A father not being satisfied with how his child turned out," Sydney replied.

"He's right you know. Maybe we should form a support group," Julian commented, causing them to laugh, their gallows humour dispersing the dark thoughts.

****

Part 35 

"Drink, Commander?" Xena asked as she approached Harm on the bridge of the Defiant.

"Love one Commander," he replied from the helm. 

Captain Sisko had decided to give this whole visit an air of urgency, so he had given them the Defiant. It held a minimal crew, and those who were to infiltrate Starfleet HQ were taking on double duty. Harm, a former test pilot, who had actually flown a prototype of the Defiant, was quite happy at the helm. Lieutenant Commander Worf who had commanded the Defiant before, was in the big chair. Ensign Rosenberg was at ops, Xena was at weapons and tactical and Gabrielle was the medic.

She ordered his drink from the bridge replicator, and placed it near him. Lieutenant Commander Harmon Rabb impressed her a great deal. He was a smart, dedicated man, who never gave up. She was quite familiar with the fact that his father had disappeared during the war with the Romulans, and to this day, though they refused to admit it, he believed that his father was still alive in a Romulan prison camp. She also knew that he was the ranking lieutenant commander amongst the four of them, and yet he had been willing to follow her lead, because he realised she knew what to do with more clarity than him. She knew of plenty of officers who would never relinquish authority, even if they were over their heads. He also happened to be an extremely attractive man, and if she was that way inclined, she would have approached him.

She turned to Worf and delivered his prune juice. It still amazed her that the tough, forceful tactical officer drank something as human as prune juice. But Worf was a contradiction in terms. The only Klingon serving in Starfleet well respected by his peers and superiors. He had also been Security officer aboard the most famous ship in the fleet, a ship that's legend had followed from one vessel of the same name to the next. Worf had served aboard two of the Enterprises, Enterprise D & E. He had been aboard the D, when it had been destroyed during a battle with the Duras sisters. He had joined the E when the Defiant had been crippled while fighting the Borg. He had followed them on an adventure that had transversed time and space. He had fought the Borg and met Zefram Cochrane. And he had done it all with a gruff stoicism that was not Klingon or human, but purely his own. He also kicked her butt in a manner that none had ever done before. He was the perfect warrior.

Ensign Willow Rosenberg looked more than a little anxious around all these senior officers, but Xena had learned not to write her off as some sort of mouse. There was a steel backbone and stubborn nature under that gentle manner. Xena had seen it unleashed on Xander, and had to admit that it was really quite impressive. Apart from that, she was a young woman, just starting her career. The ramifications of what they were investigating could either make or break her, yet she was willing to go along, because this was bigger than them all. Giles had not been forthcoming on exactly what being a 'Trainee Watcher' entailed, in fact, he had been keeping all that information close to his chest, but Xena had a feeling, it was important. Xena did not intend on letting anything happen to her. If it did, Buffy and Xander would be pushing each other aside to see who got first option at beating Xena senseless. She knew she was a good fighter, but it was obvious that Buffy had the potential for being so much better. As for Xander, Xena had made it a point never to upset a man who was skilled in anatomy and physiology and knew 1000s of ways of causing pain to a body, if he so desired.

Finallly there was Gabrielle, sitting there with a curious look on her face. Xena felt warm throughout her whole body. Gabrielle was her lover, her partner and her best friend. They were two parts of a whole, and Xena honestly could not think of what she would have done without her. Xena had come from a violent and savage world. Her parents had been killed right after she was born. She had grown up on the streets, and fought with and against the street kids. When she had grown old enough for men to admire her, she was already a better fighter than most of her. In her late teens, she had built an army of fanatical followers, and they had roamed the land, sacking, pillaging, raping and burning, not to mention killing anyone who got in their way. It had been a Starfleet captain who had turned her around, a short, thin and balding man with an almost pretentious accent. He might not have looked like much, but he had a presence that she had coveted. He had helped her disband her army and make restitution, and then he had sponsored her application to Starfleet. She had gained a reputation as a diligent security officer, who might have been a little excessive in her enjoyment of subduing criminals.

It was around this time she had met Gabrielle. The younger girl had just been placed in security, and was a chatty, optimistic thing. Xena hadn't thought she would last a week. But Gabrielle had, and shown herself to be just as effective as Xena, though her methods were different. As partners, they augmented each other's weaknesses, and improved each other's strengths. Being partners had soon given way to friendship, though the trek from friends to lovers took much longer. While Xena had always known that she prefered women to men, she hadn't wished to scare off her only real friend. At the end, it had been Gabrielle who had approached her, proving herself to be the strongest one in the relationship. Few others commented on their relationship, and those who decided to denigrate it usually found themselves face to face with her, and Xena knew how scary she could be. 

****

Part 36

"This is quite a collection of technology Miles," Meg commented with admiration as she and the rest of the T.R.T looked around the large cargo bay that had been converted into a collection sight for all different types of technology he had collected.

He had Dominion, Cardassian, Klingon, Romulan and even Borg technology, and it was all collated properly.

"It's a hobby of mine, but considering how many battles have been waged around this station, it's easy to collect debris. I even have a working Klingon cloaking device from the Federation/Klingon war. I'm trying to work out a way for me to be able to put it in a runabout," Miles answered, finding it very easy to smile at this sunny, if somewhat tall lieutenant.

She was a lawyer, but she was also a computer weapons specialist as well. She had told Miles that she could put together an Ion detonator in her sleep, and seeing her at work, could believe it. Right now, they were seeing if they could come up with some ideas. They had been meeting in DS9's senior staff room but after several hours of going nowhere, he had suggested a trip to his little junkyard.

"What have the Klingons said?" Meg asked. 

"Well, officially they don't know anything about it, but we've got quite a few friends in high places. Lets just say that they'd rather have DS9 with a working cloaking device, if it's needed, than bother with all the red tape of sending one. Worf knows its here, and so does general Martok." Miles said.

"Excuse me, I'm not up on your 24th century technology, what is a cloaking device?" Quinn asked as he walked over to them, obviously interested by the conversation, but looking a little lost. 

"A cloaking device enable a vessel to hide itself on the sensors of other vessel, making it effectively invisible in space." Jadxia explained.

"So its like a 24th century radar jammer. Has the Dominion had any luck breaking through them?" Quinn asked, his forehead wrinkled in thought.

"When they first came onto the scene, their technology was superior to ours, but we've made vast improvements. What's up?" Meg asked, seeing the wide smile on his face.

"How do you think the captain would react if we were to cloak DS9?" Quinn asked as eyes lit up around the room, and already brains were trying to work out how it could be done.

"Lets get together a proposal first, and then approach him. Lets not put his hopes up," Miles commented, more of a working class man than an officer, and more willing to not kept people's hopes up too high.

****

Part 37 

"Okay Chameleon boy, everybody's deserted us. Are you happy now?" Buffy asked as she paced up and down the carpet in Jarod's quarters.

All of their friends and comrades had gone off on their own missions, and captain Sisko was taking over operations, leaving the Starfleet ensign and Pretender to pretty much twiddle their fingers.

"I am happy, because everyone is out of the way, and we can do what needs to be done without checking with everybody. I don't play well with other's Buffy, but I need you. You're experienced in military security. We need to use it," Jarod stated.

Buffy looked at him and started to get a little nervous.

"Hold on Jarod, I said I was bored, not looking to get court martialled." She said.

"Trust me, I've been doing this for much longer than you have. The simple fact is that most people will shove our memory into the back of their minds, so intent on their own missions. Captain Sisko has sent most of his senior officers away from the station, he's going to have to wear more hats while trying to ensure that no-one realises what happening." Jarod explained.

"Its sort of like permission to get into trouble," Buffy replied prospectively.

"I had a feeling that you might feel that way. Shall we adjourn to my vessel?" he asked.

"I thought you came here on a transport?" she asked.

"It was easier to allow everyone to believe that, that way, if I needed to leave quickly without waiting for another transport, all I could do was head off," Jarod answered.

"Jarod, we have some of the best security officers in Starfleet here, exactly just how did hide this little secret from them?" Buffy asked.

"It's going to be a long trip, why don't I tell you about it, when we're en route," he said as he started to walk away.

"Hey, Pretender Boy, you might be able to pick up and leave without a word, but I've got to pack a bag," she said.

"We'll make a detour past your quarters," he replied with a nod and they walked away, together.

****

Part 38

Some might have been mistaken by thinking that the stony look on Lieutenant Commander Worf's face was a natural occurrence, but the three other lieutenant commanders and one ensign had worked with him long enough to know that something was up.

"I just received a communique from Captain Sisko. Ensign Summers and Jarod have disappeared," he said.

"Foul play?" Harm asked.

"No, Jarod left a message for the Captain. Apparently he and the ensign are chasing up another lead, but he wasn't too specific," Worf answered.

"Damn Sisko, he should have kept a better watch on Jarod. He's an obvious flight risk. And now he's dragged Ensign Summers off on one of his flights of fancy," Xena cursed.

"Jarod is a lone wolf, the fact that he's taken Buffy along, is a good thing. He knows about sneaking around and she can pretty much protect him against anything that's thrown against them," Gabrielle commented.

"Hold that thought," Willow commented as she started accessing her monitor.

After a little while, she smiled.

"Brilliant, she left a message," she said.

"What sort of message?" Harm asked curiously as he leant over the monitor.

"While doing an academy information technology course, I created a junk file in the Starfleet mainframe. Its so deeply inbedded into the system, that noone can find it, let alone hack into it. Xander, Buffy and I use it to leave messages when we're having trouble with subspace." Willow explained.

Xena and Gabrielle looked at each other and groaned. They were security officers, supposedly trying to locate and remove security risks from Starfleet, yet here was this young hacker, who was informing them that she broke through the Starfleet computer security all the time.

"Maybe you should transfer to Starfleet security Willow. I'm sure they'd love someone with you hacking skills," Harm said with a grin.

He noticed that Xena and Gabrielle had quirky smiles on her faces. They were beginning to appreciate the humour in this all. Starfleet claimed how impenetrable their system was, but here was a two-year ensign who had been using Starfleet's own system as a personal message board. Willow looked like such the sweet, innocent, 'butter wouldn't melt in her mouth' type, but underneath it was a woman who could do more damage than her blonde haired best friend, with a couple of codes and instructions.

"Will, Xan, me and Jarod are going on a fishing trip. It might be a couple of days. Keep the dogs off our backs. Can't say more, will get back to you," Willow commented, reading the message.

"That's pretty concise, but I wonder what she means by dogs?" Harm asked with a grin.

Xena and Gabrielle gave him a hard look, and Willow had to admit that the JAG officer had no fear. He thought nothing of teasing the two Security officers. Worf didn't joke with them, but Willow knew that he very rarely cut loose, preferring a dignified manner.

"Laugh it up lawyer." Xena answered playfully.

"I think its safe to assume that those two will be alright. We'll just stick to out mission, and let them do theirs," Gabrielle answered.

****

Part 39

"Nice," Jarod commented as he eyed the diaphanous outfit that Buffy had put on.

They were heading for a space station that was approximately half way between earth and DS9. According to feelers that Jarod had put out, this was the place they needed to go, to find out more. Jarod had built identification for both of them, so they could move around unnoticed. He would be Jarod Rogers, a professional gambler, who was heading for the casino that was a prominent part of the space station. Buffy would play Annika, a suitably brainless piece of fluff that's only purpose was to look good on his arm. Buffy had been unimpressed by Jarod's assessment of her character, but had to admit that it would allow her to go many more places than her uniform wouldn't. Right now, she was displaying the outfit that the replicator had provided, according to her specifications.

"Well, if I'm going to be a bimbo, I'm going to be a well dressed one. You're looking sharp Jarod. Are you sure you can be convincing as a gambler?" she asked.

"Jarod Rogers has quite a reputation in both the alpha and beta quadrant. I've used this guise before, the only difference is, I didn't have a gorgeous blonde woman with me," he said with a warm smile that she felt to her toes.

There was no denying he was a babe. He was handsome, with large, innocent eyes. He was also very tall. They had had numerous conversations during their trip, and she began to realise that despite their ten-year age difference, she was worldlier about certain matters than he was.

"Let's get this show on the road," Buffy stated as the communicator indicated a communique coming through.

"This is the Galaxicor Space Casino. Welcome. Please state your identities and business," the voice said.

"This is Jarod Rogers of the Last Chance. My business is pleasure," Jarod answered.

"Our scans indicate two humanoids," the voice of the communicator stated.

"The other humanoid is my companion Annika. She is also here for my pleasure," Jarod answered with a wink, causing Buffy to grin.

He had seamlessly slipped into the personae of a high stakes gambler. She knew she should have been insulted, but she was having too much fun enjoying his performance.

"Acknowledged. We have booked you a suite in the hotel. An escort will be awaiting you at docking port 75," the voice answered and severed the connection.

It took them a little over ten minutes to maneouver in position and dock at DP 75. This gave Jarod a chance to give Buffy a final run down on what she was going to expect. She added her own observations. He took her bag, and his and put them over his left shoulder. He offered his right hand, but she shook her head, and draped herself over him. She noticed as he blushed fierily for a little while before getting back into character and grinning cockily before walking out of the vessel with her.

A flashily dressed man, who took their bags and indicated for them to follow him, met them. The suite that they were quartered in, was obviously one of the most extravagant on board. Parts of Buffy reeled from the overwhelming opulence, but other parts of her liked it a whole lot. Training to be a Slayer didn't leave much time for the niceties of life, and even though she was working, she intended to enjoy this.

She watched as Jarod slipped a couple of Latinum slips into the hand of the man. 

"When is the big poker match happening?" Jarod asked.

"Tonight at 2300 hours. Its expensive to obtain a seat," the man replied.

"I think its well known that I'm good for it. Have someone collect me at 2230 hours. Have a bottle of Risan Special reserve and an old fashioned glass ready," Jarod answered.

"Your playing requirements are well known. Until tonight, enjoy your visit," the man replied as he left.

Jarod indicated for Buffy to be quiet. He removed a tricorder from his case and started moving it around the room. Twelve listening devices later he nodded.

"The room's clean," he said.

"That security tricorder is Starfleet issue. Where did you get it Jarod?" she asked.

"I appropriated it before leaving DS9. I thought it might come in handy," he replied.

Buffy looked at him, sighed and shook her head. 

"You're going to get yelled at. Better tell them that I took it. At least I'll be able to get away with it," she answered.

"Order something from room service for us. Lets rest before hitting the casino tonight." He said.

She rankled at his peremptory manner but knew that she had to start acting like she obeyed his words implicitly, or people might start asking the wrong questions. Since he could obviously afford the suite, she decided to splurge on lunch 

****

Part 39

Benjamin Sisko at his newly improved Deep Space Nine. It looked completely unchanged, but over the last couple of weeks, a small but skilled team of computer, mechanical and hi tech weapons engineers, had turned it into a tactical nightmare for anyone game enough to attack. It had a phased cloaking system, high yield quantum torpedo launchers, increased shielding and phasers etc. And the brilliant part of the whole exercise was that it was all completed under the guise of doing routine maintenance. This meant that only those in the know, knew about the changes. Starfleet Command would undoubtedly have a few things to say, but he would put it under the convenient explanation of C.I.C's discretions.

His covert teams were on their way back to home base, as he, the baseball fanatic, called it. No real information was sent over subspace, for fear of interception by the other side. Instead, a huge council of war had been prepared for when they all arrived back.

His main concern was Jarod and Ensign Summers. There had been no word from them since they had left here, close to a month ago.

"The Defiant is docking, as is the Millenium Falcon," Miles stated from his desk at Ops. "Have them meet in the conference room." Benjamin replied as he turned and walked into his room. The game of puzzles was over. The game of deeds had begun. 

It appeared that the S.I.T had given the F.I.T a lift back, because both groups arrived first. He had no worries that they were very careful, because he trusted this lot.

The M.I.T soon arrived and were greeted accordingly.

"So how was it?" Benjamin asked.

"I've had it up to here with bureaucracy and red tape," Xena answered as she indicated a space above her head.

Sympathetic groans from around the room indicated she was preaching to the choir.

"Try suspicion and intrigue, just as bloody bad," Han Solo answered as he sat on the couch, Leia cuddled up to him.

"You never realise just how complicated the galaxy is, until you go looking for problems," Rupert Giles said.

"Any word on Buffy and Jarod?" Willow asked.

"Nothing yet, and I'm starting to get a little nervous," Benjamin admitted.

"Captain, the C.I.T have just docked," O'Brien said over the comchannel.

"That just leaves our errant duo," Benjamin answered.

The rest of the group managed to look both worried and annoyed.

****

Part 40

"That's one hell of a bruise," Jarod commented as he looked at Buffy's black eye. He would have tended to it with a dermal regenerator, but they didn't have one handy.

"You should have seen the rest of them," she answered as she winced and took a sip from the glass of cold water.

They had been preparing to leave Galaxicor when ten very large guys jumped them. Jarod would have expected them to be the normal rough element who sought to prey on winners, but considering what had happened to him in the past, he wasn't taking anything for granted.

Jarod had heard rumours of Buffy's fighting skill, but he had never really seen them in action. He admitted to being a good fighter when he needed to, but she was incredible. She had taken hits that would have felled him, and she had leapt back into the fray. The toughs, first thinking they were going to rip off a soft handed gambler and his pretty little thing, had found themselves at the tail end of an ass kicking that those who were still alive would feel for months.

"Oh well, we'll be at DS9 in ten minutes, then I'll take you to the Med bay," Jarod said.

"You're not exactly looking unharmed yourself Jarod. I think we both should." Buffy answered.

"Can you keep my little vessel secret?" he asked.

"Sure thing, it's the least I can do. But I gotta tell you Jarod. There will come a time when you can stop fleeing," Buffy said.

"I am so looking forward to it," Jarod replied wistfully.

****

Part 41 

"Hey Xander, feel like plying your trade?" a voice asked, as Xander looked up from his tools and smiled.

"You look like you two decided to invade the Dominion, all on your own," he replied wryly as he they stumbled into the med bay. 

He hadn't heard a call for medical assistance, so it was very likely that the security personnel didn't know that they were back. Considering that everyone was looking out for their arrival, it was a wonder that they had managed to evade them. 

"Got into a brawl," she answered.

"How many were left alive afterwards?" he asked casually as he manoeuvred them over to the exam beds.

"One or two, I didn't get actual numbers," Buffy replied.

"I suppose that destruction is destruction without a numerical value," he quipped.

"Captain Sisko, Lieutenant Commander Pappas, Ensign Rosenberg, report to the sick bay. Our runaways are back," Xander said over the comm channel as he began to treat them.

"You know, I think I've seen you look worse after a cat fight with Willow," Xander commented wryly as Buffy laughed.

She was glad to be around him. He ensured that she never took herself too seriously, and was always around when she was feeling ready to blow up.

"How are you Xander? Did you manage to find your answers?" she asked gently.

"Yes, I've confirmed that my father is an unscrupulous bastard who deserves to fall from a great height," Xander answered.

"Xander, he is your father," Buffy said carefully.

"It doesn't matter. I'm not the only one who he's hurt with his search for greatness. This is no longer a personal vendetta. The whole universe demands that he be accountable for his actions." Xander replied firmly.

"Buffy, Jarod, what in hell happened to you?" Captain Sisko asked as he arrived in the room, soon followed by Xena, Willow, Miss Parker and Sydney.

"We got jumped as we were leaving our destination. Unfortunately our disguises were too good. We became a target for a group of thugs looking for a way of making extra money," Jarod exclaimed.

"Are you alright Jarod?" Miss Parker asked as she moved closer to him, tentatively eyeing him.

Any thoughts Buffy nursed about a relationship with this man went out the window. He was totally and utterly in love with her, and she looked very much like she reciprocated it.

"Just a little bruised. Luckily I had the Velvet Hammer over here. She's mean," Jarod answered as \he smiled jokingly, but never took his eyes away from hers.

"Hey Buff," Willow said as she threw her arms around Buffy.

Buffy hugged her closely to her, and unconsciously dragged Xander into this three-way embrace. It felt good to be around her friends again.

"So Jarod, Buffy, what were you doing out there?" Xena asked bluntly, causing the emotion to exhale out of the room. Miss Parker gave her a dirty look, but Jarod took her hand and indicated for her to join him on the exam bed.

"You have your sources, I have mine." Jarod answered mysteriously.

"Did you get in touch with Cousin It?" Miss Parker asked.

"How did you know about Angelo?" Jarod asked, giving her a surprised look.

"I've suspected for a long while that his mind isn't the fruit punch it pretends to be. It occurred to me that he had access to the whole Centre. I always wondered how you used to know exactly what was happening," Miss Parker answered.

"When this all finished, I'm going to get Angelo out of there," Jarod replied.

"It appears your not going to tell me what you and Buffy were doing out there. At least tell me how you managed to get onto the station without us knowing," Xena asked.

"No can do. A guy's got to have some secrets," Jarod said, shaking his head.

Xena gave him a stern look before turning a questioning eye at Buffy.

"Don't look at me. I was just muscle," Buffy replied, playing dumb.

"Xena, leave it. Let's just say that out prodigals are back, and leave it at that," Captain Sisko said, seeing that a confrontation was about to take place.

"Well, you're better, but you're going to need some rest before you give your report." Xander stated.

"I'll take Buffy," Willow said with a smile.

Before Xena could pipe up, Miss Parker said with determination, "I'll take Jarod." 

They walked out, hand in hand, and Buffy left with Willow.

"Those two have got to be the most irritatingly secretive people that I've ever met," Xena seethed.

"Think about it this way Xena, he has had difficulty opening up to others. Just be glad that he's opened up to Buffy, and Miss Parker, it would seem," Benjamin said.

"You're telling me that you wouldn't like to know how he subverted station security so he could get off station, and then back on again," Xena asked.

"Let's just say that I'm willing to let this one go through to the catcher, this time," Ben answered.

****

Part 42

"I think that we've pretty much been able to get a descriptive idea on what is going on out there. Now the question is, how are we going to take on the Jem Haddar ships when they get here," Ben Sisko stated with a determined expression his face.

"We've got the armaments on DS9, the adaptations on the Millennium Falcon, Defiant and 12 X-Wing Fighters. Still, I doubt we have the necessary firepower to survive a long-term battle. Commander Rabb and I have also discussed the idea of bulking up the weapons systems on the runabouts so we can we can add them to the stations own firepower," Miles explained.

"The question is, how are we going to get enough ships? If we go straight to Starfleet Command, we might as well show our hand," Ben asked.

"Actually, I just made a quiet call to an old friend. I told him what was going on, and he agreed that he should join us. He's also calling in lots of favours," Xena said with a smile.

"Can you trust him?" Han Solo asked.

"I think we can trust Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the U.S.S Enterprise," Xena answered as a feral grin appeared on her face.

The Sliders and the Rebel Alliance people looked more than a little mystified, but from the instant looks of respect and admiration on the faces of those around them, they had to gather that Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the U.S.S Enterprise were definitely someone trustworthy.

"I had no idea that you knew Captain Picard," Worf commented.

"He arrived in my life one day, sporting that arrogant accent of his. I nearly laughed as I looked at this short, balding man with a big nose. I was close to pummelling him into the ground, until he shoulder tossed me. Surprised the daylights out of me that this little old man could do what a whole band of raiders couldn't do. I admired his poise and aura of command and I wanted it. He helped me get into Starfleet Academy in the first place," Xena explained, and all could hear the deep respect in her voice.

"Then we can trust this Captain Picard. He's not likely to tow the party line, and be manipulated by the powers that be?" Princess Leia asked.

It was a valid question. No matter how much of a hero he was to these Starfleet and United Federation of Planets people, he could still be the sort who followed regulations and didn't use his own initiative. That sort of person would hurt them.

"Let me assure you Princess. Jean-Luc Picard and his crew are no strangers to disobeying orders and taking the law into their own hands. The Enterprise is the flagship of the Fleet and you have to show real brilliance to be even assigned aboard her. Xena probably did us a very good favour by calling him in." Ben Sisko stated.

"He is an honourable man," Worf said, pretty much extinguishing all devil's advocacy.

Worf was a man who gave his loyalty sparingly, and considering his views on honour, his comment was enough to convince them.

****

Part 43

"Lieutenant Commander Pappas, Lieutenant Commander Worf, surely it must have been the work of a madman or a genius to put you together," the small man with the hawkish face and almost bald head said as several people chuckled around the room.

This man was a leader, Luke Skywalker thought to himself. Besides the fact that he was the shortest man in the room, he had everyone in the palm of his hand. Shoulders went back, stomachs were sucked in, and heads were raised. He had an air of reserve and quiet arrogance about him that suited his stature. Luke found himself wanting to get to know this man. A look at Han, Wedge and Chewie, told him that they were equally impressed. Leia seemed fascinated by the way he melded a diplomat's personality with that of a military leader. In their world, there were either warriors or diplomats, but in this universe, there were many mixtures of both.

"Desperate times Captain," Worf admitted. 

"Yes, considering the people I recognise around here. Most of them seemed to have made a career out of getting in and out of trouble. Ambassador's Duncan and Connor Macleod, Federation Liaison Rupert Giles, Lois Lane and Clark Kent of the Daily Galaxy, Fox Mulder and Dana Scully of Federation Security, Commander Harm Rabb and Lieutenant Meg Austin of JAG. This has all the makings of a consiracy. Captain Sisko, why don't you and your friends inform me what the hell is going on," Captain Picard stated as he walked over to the replicator in the large conference room.

"Earl Grey tea, hot," he said, and when it appeared, he walked over and sat down at the table and crossed his legs.

Those who knew him smiled, because that movement had been done many times over. It had an almost ritualistic feel to it. 

The leaders of each group filled Picard in on what was happening. He didn't say anything, and just looked at Counsellor Deanna Troi, the exotic looking woman at his shoulder. Those who knew her knew she was a Betazoid empath, and could sense the emotions of people around her. Worf knew that they had worked like this for so many years, that it was almost habit. All attention was fixed on Jean-Luc Picard, while his attention was fixed partially on her. From numerous facial expressions, she could tell him who was lying and who was telling the truth.

It was not manipulation of the force, but it was definite mind powers. Closing his eyes, he could almost see the mental waves of energy emanating from the exotic and attractive woman with the black eyes. She acted like a truthseer for the Captain of the Enterprise, and Luke had to admit that it was an effective use of resources. The Captain trusted the Counsellor implicitly, and her ability to read the feelings of those whom he wasn't sure of, enabled him to open himself up to reports, instead of suspecting those around him, and therefore closing himself off to new ideas.

She seemed to be aware of the attention being directed at her, and turned to him. She smiled slightly at him, which he returned, feeling slightly self-conscious. Sithspawn! Despite all his skill in the Force, he still acted like a Tatooine dew farmer around beautiful women. He turned, as those designated, finished off their reports.

"What in hell do you need me here for?" Picard asked, jokingly, obviously impressed with the level of intelligence and preparation in this group.

"Manpower. The Enterprise will be a welcome addition to our forces. Think you can get anyone to join the party?" Ben asked.

"I know a few captains, who trust me well enough to know that if I'm up to something, its for the Federation. Plus, the Klingons always love a good fight. They're still irritated that the Dominion retreated to Cardassia. I'm sure Gowron would love another shot at them," Picard said thoughtfully. 

With that, he mentally and vocally composed a list of those who would be willing to help. Luke was truly amazed. He doubted that even Mon Mothma or Admiral Ackbar could ensure those types of forces. And these weren't the types of forces you could attain with just your rank. There had to be a lot of respect, loyalty and trust involved. 

"Major Kira, Chief O'Brien, I have a feeling that Captain Picard is going to need a lot of space on subspace. Start re-routing all traffic we can, without seeming suspicious. As you have seen Jean-Luc, we have divided our people into different groups. It would probably be smart to do so with your own people," Ben suggested.

"A smart idea Ben," Picard admitted.

****

Chapter 44

"Mr Skywalker. I was told that I would find you here," Deanna Troi commented as she walked up to the youngish man in the black, high collared tunic and pants. 

He was quite attractive, with sandy blonde hair, piercing blue eyes and a nice smile. She would have chosen lighter clothes for him, if she had a choice, but it seemed that he wore the outfit not just because of personal choice, but because it was a uniform of sorts. He wore a gun belt, much like one of Alexander's wild west holodeck programs. On one side was a vicious looking phaser pistol. On the other side was a shiny metal tube, with buttons on one side. She wondered whether it was a tricorder of sorts. What she really admired was the inner control and strength that he exuded.

"Call me Luke, Counsellor," he said as he stood up from his seat in Ten Forward and pulled out a seat for her.

There was that duality in him, which she found confusing. Most of the time he seemed like a master of his surroundings, but every so often he seemed to lapse into a type of 'aw shucks' country boy manner. It was confusing to say the least.

"Then you must call me Deanna," she answered with a smile.

"How may I assist you Deanna?" he asked.

"You have telepathic ability, Luke. Although I couldn't sense it, I have been around telepaths long enough to know whats going on," she said.

"Mastering the Force has ensured me a full range of psionic powers," he explained.

"The Force?" she asked.

"The force permeates everything, planets, people, plants, solar systems etc. There are those amongst us who are able to master the Force, and in turn we become its servants," he answered.

"That's sort of power would lead to corruption," she commented as he nodded.

"Yes, those who choose the easy, more seductive way, inevitably become servants of the Dark side of the Force. My father was one such as those. But a selfless act, helped him come back," he said as he froze. 

"What is it?" he asked. 

"We have to get back to DS9," he said urgently.

"Transporter room 4 is just down the hall, let's go," she answered, not questioning his intuition.

****

Part 45

"Any ideas people?" Commander Will Riker asked as he ducked behind a bulkhead to avoid the phaser fire that came from the middle of the promenade. 

A walk on the promenade with Worf, Harm, Meg and a very stunning, but unattainable Xena, had turned into a life or death situation. A group of Dominion sympathisers had barricaded themselves in Garak's shop, and were doing their damnedest to pick off anyone who came within disruptor range.

"Nothing comes to mind. Getting up now, would be a good way of finding yourself in the morgue." Harm commented.

Will saw that all of his comrades were equally willing to give it a go despite the odds.

"I'll disperse the phaser fire, but I'll need a couple of you coming close behind me to disarm them," Luke said as he knelt beside them.

Will was surprised, and from the looks on the faces of those around him, he wasn't the only one. He could have sworn that Luke wasn't with them before the crisis, yet not one of them could remember his arrival. Plus the young Fighter pilot just didn't seem to be a warrior. 

"And how do you plan to do that Luke?" Xena asked as Luke removed the metal tube from his belt.

They had never actually seen him remove it from his belt, and had thought it had some cultural meaning.

"The Force," he answered as he flicked a switch on the tube. 

A beam of static light appeared on top the tube. It was about three-foot long. With that, he did a backward somersault into the middle of the promenade. Instead of landing and crouching to absorb the shock, he slowed down and seemed to step out of the air and land. As the Starfleet personnel watched in startled amazement, Luke deflected disruptor fire with blade of light. Xena and Worf, seeing that he had created a perimeter, came behind him and prepared to jump the terrorists. They thought that Luke would miss deflecting the disruptor fire, but he seemed to move as an automaton, moving faster than Xena could at her best. Removing her Chakrum from her belt, she threw it. It bounced off three walls and slice off the barrels of the phasers. With that, Worf moved in with his Bat'leth and Xena moved in, displaying her hand to hand fighting skills. Harm and Will followed in reserve, watching their backs.

"I think you three should go in front, any time we're attacked," Will commented dryly as he observed what was left of the terrorists. 

Luke with his 'lightsabre' was only a touch more lethal than Worf and his Bat'leth. As for Xena and her hand to hand skills, he was in awe. Some of her leaps and twists made him wonder whether Chief O'Brien was playing around with the artificial gravity. Not to mention the fact that she was vicious.

"And Buffy, we can't forget Buffy. She'll be pissed when she learns she missed out on a fight." Xena said in a strangely good mood as Worf laughed.

"As for you Mister. I have no idea what sort of idea that was, deflecting disruptor fire, but I'm thinking that we need to have a long talk with you," Will said to Luke.

"You don't need to have a long talk with me," Luke said.

"I don't need to have a long talk with you," Will stated, realising what Luke had said was true.

"I can go about my business," Luke said.

"You can go about your business," Will replied, understanding the young man probably had other things to do.

"I can move along," Luke said

"Move along," Will ordered as Luke walked off with Deanna in tow. 

Will looked around at the various Starfleet officers, who were looking at him with strange looks on their faces. 

"What?" he asked.

"Mind control?" Deanna asked as they walked towards the transporter room.

"Suggestion. The more straightforward the mind, the easier for me to suggest," Luke explained. 

"I have to admit that it was a fascinating maneouver, but why do it, we're all on your side?" she inquired.

"Your Commander Riker seems to have a fairly stubborn manner. I didn't really feel like spending hours describing what powers I have," Luke replied.

"My Commander Riker?" she asked, as she felt herself blush. Luke's blunt look didn't help at all.

"You have to be able to accept love when it is offered to you. Take the Bantha by the horns Deanna," he said with a smile that was pure farm boy.

****

Part 46

"It is rather disturbing for you to be teaching your psionic powers to our crew. As I understand it, it has the ability to twist men's minds and make them bad," Jean-Luc commented. 

"Actually, the Force is just an instrument, it's the evil that lurks in men's minds that causes them to use the force in a bad way. I would be the first to agree with you, if I was an inexperienced teacher, but I've taught several classes of students, and most of them didn't have half the patience and discipline that the one's I've picked up here, have shown," Luke answered.

Jean-Luc couldn't believe it. This young man was less than half his age, and yet he acted like he was as old as the hills. After Luke Skywalker's convincing display of his mental abilties, on the promenade, numerous members of their group had gone to Luke for training. For the most part, it was obvious they wouldn't accomplish much, but there had been a few standouts.

Xander Harris for one, Maggie Beckett, Jadxia Dax, Clark Kent, Meg Austin and Doctor Sydney Green. While most would never have the potential to best Luke Skywalker, combat wise, according to Luke, they were developing skills unique to themselves in the force

Xander was developing the ability to diagnose and treat maladies without the need of computer scanners and the like. Sydney developed empathy on a scale that was even to Counsellor Troi's. Luke regarded Clark Kent with a type of interrogatory curiosity, though he wouldn't reveal the reason.

It made Jean-Luc uncomfortable. He was a straightforward and practical man, so the use of mind powers and the like seemed almost like charlatanism. He had communicated this with Luke, only to be quoted with the phrase, "Science and technology was once regarded as magic on your world. As your playwright, William Shakespeare, once wrote, 'There is more to heaven and earth than can be dreamt up in your philosophy Horatio'. "

Jean-Luc really didn't have an answer for that. All he knew was that they were getting more and more prepared everyday. Several Starfleet vessels, who had captains and crews he knew he could trust, were currently occupying space around DS9, General Martok had bought a squadron of fighters, and even the Romulans had chipped in.

The last group was regarded with much suspicion. Apparently Major Kira had contacted some friends in the Maquis, and after their almost destruction at the hands of the Dominion and the Cardassians, they had been rebuilding their network. Hearing that Starfleet, the Klingons, the Romulans and numerous other groups were chipping in, they had decided to join in, and considering the number of space vessels of different and dubious origin, they had apparently been busy.

With the Maquis contingent had come an old friend, as their leader. Jean Luc had expected Ro Laren to be killed when the Cardassians had obliterated the Maquis, but here she was. Feeling the tension between the Starfleet personnel and the Maquis, Leia Organa Solo, her husband Han, Luke Skywalker and Major Kira had agreed to be the liaison with the Maquis. Not only were they completely removed from the tensions, but also Leia's group had more recent experience dealing with a rebellion.

It was hard, he knew. The Maquis regarded Starfleet as a group of mindless drones that had allowed them to be killed, instead of helping them fight. The Starfleet personnel regarded the Maquis, especially those who had defect from Starfleet, as traitors to the uniform and the oath they had taken. He had to admit some residual feeling of betrayal, over Ro Laren's spectacular and explosive defection to the Maquis.

"There appears to be still much doubt in your mind about the presence of the Maquis here," Luke stated, breaking his train of thought.

"I haven't had much chance to deal with this element before," Jean Luc answered.

"I grew up with this element. There is nothing so powerful as a group who is fighting for their own freedom from oppression. If the Dominion were to win, and the planets of the Alpha and Beta quadrant were subjugated under their rule, then wouldn't you indeed know how they feel. Do not limit your thinking with irrational prejudice," Luke said.

"I will try to tone down my dislike of them," Jean Luc answered as a wide smile appeared on Luke's face. It was boyish smile and took years off his face.

"My teacher would say, in reaction to your remark, 'Do or do not. There is no Try!' He would have made you feel as tall as he was, and he wasn't very big," Luke said with a reminiscent smile.

****

Part 47 

Ro Laren entered Quark's bar. Quark was very well known to the Maquis, he had a organised the delivery of weapons, food, and medical supplies to Maquis bases, even under the careful eye of Constable Odo. Despite being a greedy, lecherous, underhanded Ferengi, he had actually developed a conscience of sorts. 

Luke Skywalker had asked her to meet him here, and despite herself, she had to say yes. She truly liked his group. They, more than any of the other groups who had congregated on and around DS9, seemed to understand the way the Maquis lived, worked and thought.

Leia was obviously a states-person. Her husband Han, was a tactical genius with certain mercenary instincts. As for Luke Skywalker, she really didn't know what to make of him. He held an aura of power and control around him that affected everyone. She had heard he was a telepath, with telekinetic and a whole range of psionic powers, yet during meetings, most of the time, you didn't even realise that he was there.

He was handsome, and while his appearance was young, his eyes showed a maturity that couldn't be equalled. She finally saw where he was seated, and when she approached, she froze as she saw who Luke was talking with.

"Whats this all about?" Jean-Luc Picard asked sharply, forestalling her own effort at getting some answers.

"Sit down, both of you," Luke said as she felt the unbearable compulsion to sit.

"Our Task Force has enough to deal with, without tension between two large groups. As respected leaders of both factions, I bought you together, to try and work out a compromise. I also know that there is also a lot of personal animosity between you two, and therefore I have bought you together to get this all out in the open. I am aware what stubborn people you two are, but you will find that I am much more stubborn that either of you, and I don't intend to let you leave this table until both of you work out your problems," Luke stated bluntly. 

With that, they started to talk. They yelled, harangued, abused, insulted each other, but after a long while, they started seeing the others side, and finally, though they didn't agree with each other completely, they were willing to give each other the benefit of the doubt. It was true that they were both deeply fond of one another, and it felt good to clear away all the betrayals and debris.

When they finished, they looked to Luke, and both laughed in unison. At some point in time during the conversation, he had disappeared, and they hadn't even known that he had left.

"That is one very direct man. Sort of Counsellor Troi with extreme prejudice," Ro commented. 

"From what I understand, he's had a difficult life up to this point, and he has little time for petty squabbles and the like," Jean Luc answered.

"I think its time that I go back to the Maquis and kick them in the pants until they start seeing Starfleet as friends," she commented as they stood up.

"I think that I might just do likewise," he answered as he rest a hand on her shoulder.

She felt a shiver up her spine. Despite his age, he was an attractive man. All hard angles, with that hawkish face, that reminded her of the earth, predatory birds. 

"Until later, Jean-Luc," she said as she patted his arm and walked out. 

He walked in a different direction, and no one saw Luke hovering in mid air over the table. He smiled as he floated down to his seat and signalled for a Ferengi waiter.

"I'll have a Raktajino, please," he asked as the waiter nodded.

****

Part 47

Federation Liaison Rupert Giles looked up as his three young charges entered his quarters and sat in front of his desk. All looked sober, and considering what he had just heard, they had every right to be.

"There is no doubt that Spike and Druscilla are working with the Dominion. I'm not sure that he can convert Cardassians and the like, but according to Xander's intel, there is a good chance that they all trying to marry his personal DNA with the Jem Haddar DNA to creature Vampire Jem Haddar. I think we all know what will happen, if they do," Giles explained.

"Can you say, Galactic Waste? What do we do? We have to tell someone," Xander said.

"We can't tell anyone. Approximately 10 minutes after we do, we'll find ourselves in extended sessions with Counsellor Troi and Doctor Green. Thanks, but no thanks," Buffy stated.

"So, it will be a small mission. The four of us, the question is how are we going to get out of here?" Willow inquired.

"Jarod's been showing me some neat tricks when it comes to avoiding a security net that Xena might lay out," Buffy quipped.

"Master Skywalker has been teaching me how to blank people's minds. Its not that difficult, unless I'm dealing with another Force user," Xander explained.

"The thing is, that we've been pretty much ignored, everyone's too busy. It should be a couple of days before they realise we've gone missing. Transport?" Giles asked.

"The runabout Yangtse is showing as being in for long term maintenance. I've manipulated the entire computer records to pretty much make it disappear. Its not equipped with all the new weapons systems, but its warp capable, and has standard phasers and proton torpedoes. It a large runabout, so we should be able to carry all the equipment we need," Willow stated as Xander laughed and hugged her.

"You've fallen in with some bad companions Will," he said as she smiled at him.

"Speaking of your Jedi friends. Will they be able to sense us leaving?" Giles asked.

"Already covered. I can throw a force blanket over this station, long enough for us to go into warp," Xander stated.

"Maybe you and Will should stay behind. This is my gig, you two joined in to help me. This could very well be a suicide mission," Buffy said bluntly.

"Then we die together, Buffy. You yourself said that resources should be allocated where they can do the most good. We know this job, we've done this job for a long time," Willow stated firmly. 

"Besides, if you're talking about genetic engineering and other medical type investigations, you know that you're going to need me along. I've been working on certain formulas that Spike and his nasty bunch of critters aren't going to like very much," Xander said with a cheesy grin on his face.

Buffy looked at her best friends and thanked whatever spirit was looking out for her. She knew that there was no way she would have gotten this far, without them. Not only were they skilled in her destiny, but they also helped keep her sane.

"Thanks guys," she said with a choked up voice

"Okay Buff N Stuff, lets quit the tears and get down to a job we enjoy, killing vampires," Xander quipped as he patted her on the shoulder.

"Yeah!" she exclaimed as she picked up her PADD and continued to go through contingency plans.

****

Part 48 

"And what sort of excursion is Federation Liaison Giles on, especially with Ensign Summers, Ensign Rosenberg and Doctor Harris?" Ben asked dangerously as he glared at the variety of security officers around the table. 

They were doing a wonderful job keeping the bad guys out of their hair, but first Jarod and Buffy disappear, and then Rupert Giles and the three young ensigns vanish.

"Come to think of it, why didn't out almighty Jedi sense them leaving," he asked as Luke bowed his head.

"The question is, why did they disappear, and where have they gone?" Xena stated.

"That's two questions," Gabrielle piped up perkily.

Xena glared at her partner before saying, "You're not helping." 

"If only they had left a note or something." Jadxia stated.

"Hell in a handcart!" Harm exclaimed, causing them all to jump.

"What is it Commander?" Jean-Luc asked moodily.

"Gabrielle, Xena, do you think you two can get into that junk file that Willow created in the Starfleet and Federation mainframes. Its very likely they've left something there," he said as the two female security officers brightened considerably and moved over to a computer terminal.

"You're telling me that the sweetest little ensign in the world, has what is tantamount to a code red security alert in two of the most impregnable systems in the quadrant?" Jean-Luc said softly.

"She's a hacker and cracker Captain. Remember, it's always the quiet ones," Harm said with his charming grin.

"We've got something. It appears that Ensign Rosenberg expected someone to access her junkfile. She's attached a letter. It's addressed to Captain Sisko," Gabrielle stated.

"Lets here it," Ben Sisko said.

"Greetings Captain Sisko, on behalf of Ensigns Summers, Harris and myself, we wish to apologise to you for what will undoubtedly be regarded as a court martialable offences. We appropriated a Starfleet runabout and a variety of Starfleet equipment, we have bypassed and circumvented security protocols and we have deserted our duty station. Unfortunately, there is a mission that is loosely attached to our fight against the Dominion, that only we can complete. We do not know when or even if we will come back from this mission. Unfortunately we cannot give other details about this mission, because it would be too dangerous for any of you to follow us. We wish you good luck, and hope you are as victorious as we hope to be. Yours Respectfully, Ensign j.g, Willow Rosenberg," the vocal memo from the ensign said before cutting off.

"It's a suicide mission, and she knows it." Xena said, her eyes hardening.

She, like the others, had come to like and respect the three young ensigns, and the idea that they were throwing their lives away, didn't sit well with her.

"Lieutenant Commander's Pappas, Covington, Doctor Bashir, Chief O'Brien. I want you to go through their personnel and work logs. Search until you find something that will give us an idea what they're attempting," Benjamin stated urgently as people started moving.

Then he looked to Ambassador Duncan Macleod who nodded and said, "I think I'm going to find out a little more about Federation Liaison Rupert Giles."

"Need a hand?" Harm said as Fox joined them.

"Any you can spare," Duncan answered.

****

Part 49

"How are going, detection wise?" Buffy asked as she looked over at Willow in the co-pilot's chair. 

With her Slayer enhanced reflexes, she was the natural choice of piloting. Willow's computer and engineering background ensured her the co-pilot's chair. Giles was browsing through PADDs while Xander was almost frantically going through his medkit. Buffy had a feeling that her long time friend had a few nasty surprises for vampires that came along. In the past, the previous Slayers had used Holy water, crosses, wooden stakes, swords and the like. While these were still a useful part of a Slayer's hunting kit, technology had added an extra edge. A phaser at highest level could kill a vampire. Disruptors were equally effective. Xander, ever since Starfleet Medical Academy, had also worked several medical deterrents for vampires.

"We're lucky. I don't know what you're doing Xander, but we've had eight Jem'Haddar warships pass within 10,000 kilometres of us, and then keep going," Willow stated.

"They still see us, I just convinced them that we're not important," Xander answered.

"I must say that the range of the Force is really quite impressive." Giles commented.

"Usually it take a much longer time for a Jedi to develop this level of skill, but Master Luke believes the fact that I was genetically engineered might explain my extra skill," Xander explained.

"One thing to be thankful to your father for," Giles said.

"How's that for irony, he wanted a more skilled son, and now that playing around with my genes is going to slap him in the face," Xander said as he leant over Willow's seat and kissed her on the cheek.

Buffy felt a little sad. Young love like this should be left to blossom, not cut off in its infancy. But they were both determined to go ahead with it. 

As Willow had said, "What's the use of being young and in love, when the whole Galaxy is falling down around you. Xander and I will always be together, but our people need us now."

"We've got multiple contacts. It appears your Jedi trick stopped working Xander," Willow stated urgently.

"Buffy, I'm taking over weapons. I've instituted a mental link with you, can you feel it?" Xander asked.

"Yeh, wow," Buffy answered as he grinned.

She felt fantastic. Even her highly tuned Slayer senses had undergone an extra tweaking to make them ultra responsive. Despite the speed of the vessels coming towards them, it seemed like they were moving much slower, and it didn't seem so hard to target their phaser fire. The Slayer in a fight was always an eyeopening experience, but adding Xander's Jedi awareness was downright addictive.

"It gets much better. Punch it Buff," Xander answered as they flew in the direction of the Dominion ships.

****

Part 50

"Captain's Log. Our preparations have drawn attention from Starfleet, the Dominion, the Romulans and Klingons. While we have been able to smooth over most enquiries, the Cardassians and Jem Had'dar aren't fooled. They have attacked on numerous occasions over the last week, and we have been able to fight them off without giving them an indication of our true strength. Captain Picard has been unanimously proclaimed Commodore of the fleet of ships that are based at DS9, on Bajor, and hiding in various space phenomena that has the ability to restrict sensor readings. It has been two weeks since the disappearance of Federation Liaison Rupert Giles and Ensigns Rosenberg, Harris and Summers. A thorough investigation of all materials and computer files pertaining to the four has turned up nothing, which makes it even more suspicious. What are they hiding, and what suicide mission are they on? When I first came aboard DS9, we had nothing to work with. Now, not only do I have a crew that I would trust with my life, but a large group of skilled professionals, all prepared to fight to the death. In a fight with this group, I have a feeling the Jem Had'dar aren't going to be so successful," Benjamin stated to his log.

"Captain, we've got the runabout Yangste, coming out of warp, several Jem Had'dar warships on its tail," Major Kira said urgently from Ops.

As Ben reached Ops, he saw over the view screen that the Millenium Falcon and the Defiant had gone out to intercept the threat. While neither had the size of the other craft in the fleet, the Defiant had firepower that equalled or better than most of them. What the Falcon had in its favour a highly tweaked engine and a pilot who had ice water running through his veins and a touch of the crazies. The two roughly circular vessels made short work of the lead Jem Had'dar vessels and the rest turned around and fled. 

"I'll be at the runabout landing pad," Benjamin stated as Major Kira nodded.

Captain Picard, Xena, Ambassador Macleod and Luke Skywalker met him at the runabout pad, as well as several security guards. The door opened, and Buffy walked over, bruised and battered, but otherwise still conscious. She was dragging a man along, who was wrapped up in old style chains and manacles. Xander soon followed, carrying Willow in his arms. She was asleep and he looked ready to drop. Both were in similar condition to Buffy. Giles followed afterwards. He was bent over and limping. It made the group wonder what these four had been doing. They looked like they had started a fight with a bar full of Norsiccans. 

"Shall we beam you to sick bay?" Benjamin asked curiously.

"Willow, Xander and Giles. If you try and beam Fang boy and me, you'll lose him. No, we do this the old fashioned way," Buffy answered.

"Ensign, isn't chaining up a prisoner slightly barbaric?" Jean Luc asked.

"Captain, you're going to be wanting answers about where we were and what we were doing. Well, I need visual aids to prove to you that me and my friends aren't loony bin candidates." Buffy answered.

"You look exhausted Summers. Need a hand?" Xena asked.

"Thanks Commander, hold on tight and don't let him get near your neck," Buffy said as he handed the end of the chain to Xena.

"Okay people, let's go," Picard stated.

They arrived at the sick bay, just as Doctor Bashir was treating Giles. Xander was lying on an exam bed, his eyes open, and his back up, as he held a sleeping Willow against him.

"Smart move, handing Fang boy over to Xena. She'd be the only one willing to knock him around if he caused any trouble," Xander said as he got off the exam bed, disentangling Willow from him.

"Xander, you should be resting." Doctor Bashir said.

"Not now, Julian. If you've finished with Giles, can we get down to the show and tell portion of the evening?" Xander asked.

"You're first," Buffy stated with an extravagant flourish.

"Doctor Bashir, please run your tricorder over this guy, and tell me what you find," Xander asked, in an all business manner.

An intrigued Doctor Bashir did like he ordered, and all the other senior officers saw his mouth drop open.

"Would you care to report your findings to everyone, Doctor Bashir?" Xander asked.

"The subject has the physiology of a Terran, except for the fact that there is no respiratory or circulatory functions evident," Doctor Bashir answered.

"Are you saying that he isn't breathing, and his heart isn't beating. Are you sure he's human?" Benjamin asked.

"He's got everything in its right place, but I'm detecting that there is a certain genetic mutation. I'll have to investigate further before I can give you a proper report," Julian stated.

"There is no need. We have all the medical information you require. Computer, access Van Helsing's Revenge and reroute all related files to this terminal, access name Hyena, access code Xander Delta three niner." Xander said as he looked to Buffy.

"Computer, confirming access request. Van Helsing's Revenge, access name Slayer, access code Buffy Pi seven six," Buffy stated as she looked to the newly awoken and groggy Willow.

"Computer, confirming access request. Van Helsing's Revenge, access name Technopagan, access code Willow Sigma one niner," she said and looked to Giles.

"Computer, verifying access request, Van Helsing's Revenge, access name Watcher, access code Giles Omega thirteen," Giles stated somberly.

"Access request, Van Helsing's Revenge, verified," the computer said.

The Starfleet officers in the room felt a chill run up their spine. The procedure they had just taken witnessed was similar to another procedure that required the approval of four officers. The procedure of setting the self-destruct mechanism on a ship. Something told them that the incredible security was hiding something that they weren't going to like, and that it all related to Buffy's prisoner who resembled a human in all ways except for the fact that respiration and circulatory systems were pretty much unneeded.

Doctor Bashir walked over to the computer terminal and despite his naturally brown features, the rest saw how pale his face had gotten.

"We're going to be up on this all night. Ops have Buffy Summers, Willow Rosenberg and Rupert Giles beamed to their quarters. Have security lockouts placed on their doors until 0900 hours," Xander ordered.

"What about you?" Julian asked.

"I've used some Jedi exercises Luke showed me. I'll need sleep later, but right now you'll need someone with experience with the subject matter to explain it to you. Computer, erect a level ten force-field around section 47 alpha," Xander stated as a force field went up around the prisoner. 

"We'll await your report," Benjamin stated as he walked out with Jean Luc, Xena and Duncan in tow.

"Did you understand anything on that file?" Jean-Luc asked them.

"Yes, but I'm not liking it very much. The captive and the file indicates that the monster in the cupboard is very real." Duncan answered.

"Huh?" Xena asked.

"Our captive is a vampire," Duncan stated as all three Starfleet officers stopped in their tracks.

"Very funny Ambassador Macleod," Captain Sisko stated, not laughing.

"Do you see me laughing Captain Sisko? You'll believe it after you read the report tomorrow, but all the facts pointed to that one fact," Duncan answered.

"Why haven't we heard about vampires before?" Jean Luc asked.

"We have, but they've been turned into creatures of myth and legend. We instantly assume that a legend is an exaggerated version of what really happened, but what if those myths and legends are actually verbatim of what's real. Willow, Xander and Buffy have proven themselves many times over, and if they believe in vampires and obviously fight them, then why should we close ourselves off to the possibilities? I've known Rupert Giles for many years, and while he's not the most open person in the world, I trust his judgement implicitly. Plus, one more piece of evidence, the name of the file is Van Helsing's revenge. Van Helsing is the name of the vampire hunter in Bram Stoker's novel, 'Dracula'," Duncan stated.

"There is more in heaven and earth than can be dreamt of in your philosophy Horatio," Jean Luc stated as Duncan nodded.

"Okay, we look at the evidence and make a judgement call." Xena said.

"Let's call it a night," Sisko suggested.

****

Part 51

"Shouldn't we put him in a cell or something?" Jadxia Dax asked as she viewed the chained and manacled man, who stood, sullenly in the middle of the level 10 force field.

"He's not human, Commander. He's a bloodsucking demon and doesn't deserve the consideration of a private cell," Doctor Xander Harris answered bluntly.

"That's a fairly unenlightened attitude, Ensign," Jadxia commented.

"Commander, if we removed the force field and the chains, the first thing our guest would do, would be to try and kill us, in the most painful and horrifying manner possible. Not because of the way he's treated, not because of some childhood trauma, but because its in its nature to kill and destroy. Don't even try to understand it, because you'll fail. This is a creature of pure evil that makes the Dominion look like a bunch of Betazoids," Xander answered as Jadxia saw the honest hatred in his eyes.

"You lost someone close to you, to the vampires," she said.

"Yes, a friend whom I'd known since I was a toddler, much like Willow. Jesse was a pain in the ass but he was my friend. Both Willow and us were outcasts in our school. One night, when we were 16, a vampirelured him out of our normal hang out and fed off him. That was night that we first met Buffy. She killed that vampire, but not before that vampire turned Jesse into a soulless demon. I killed Jesse myself, before he killed Willow. I killed my best friend, and that night I devoted my life to killing these monsters," Xander said softly.

Both Julian and Jadxia were watching him now. His eyes were tragic, yet determined. They saw in his eyes, a level of maturity. He hadn't been forward about his demon hunting activities, but from the way he looked, they gathered that he had seen more than some of his age or any age, deserved to see. And sweet Willow and feisty Buffy were included in that group. Julian and Jadxia re evaluated the young doctor again.

"How's that report going?" Captain Sisko asked as she walked in, immediately feeling the tension.

"You're not going to like it Benjamin," Jadxia answered.

"I've been dealing with things I don't like every day since this little adventure started. Give me a summary while we head over to ops. Ensign Harris, you need sleep, you're dismissed," Captain Sisko stated.

"Yes sir," Xander answered, not even arguing. 

****

Part 52 

Rupert Giles headed the information session, telling of how he was a Watcher, a man destined to train and care for a young woman of incredible strength, skill and speed, who's duty was to kill vampires. He explained how the Slayer, as the girl was known, was to work alone with her Watcher. He told of how Xander and Willow had learned about Buffy's destiny, very early. And how, despite his protests, they had started helping, and together had made a well skilled team. He was the intelligence, Buffy was the muscle, Willow was technical support and Xander was scientific support. Together, they had killed many vampires, and had been responsible for the destruction of numerous other denizens of the dark.

The audience listened with chilly fascination as Rupert Giles told real ghost stories. He talked of witches, ghouls, demons, zombies, etc in great detail, and it reminded many of them of an Academy style lecture, and the lecturer was very serious. This small group of young people and their mature mentor had faced the demons and had been doing so since mid adolescence. Seven years of fighting demons, while others of their age were dreaming of adventure and exploration. The audience looked at Willow and Buffy with admiration. Xander was still asleep, but he had been awake for a week straight so he deserved to miss out on this session.

"We managed to stop the Dominion's experiments with grafting Jem Had'dar and vampire genetic material," Buffy explained.

"Can they start up the experiments?" Harm asked.

"Not likely, Xander worked a little genetic magic. We're not exactly sure what he did," Giles explained.

"The bonding agent they were using, has been turned into a repellent. A brilliant piece of work," Julian explained.

"That's our Xander, constantly pulling a rabbit out of his hat," Giles stated.

"Aww Bullwinkle, that trick never works," Jadxia said automatically, causing all the members of the 20th century television appreciation group to dissolve into helpless laughter.

Ever since Xander had started lending data chips to Commander Dax, the appreciation of 20th Century Television had caused groups to get together in one set of quarters or another to watch one of the many 20th Century shows that Xander had access to.

Jean Luc did not know why everyone was laughing, but he was glad for the break in the mood. The tension in this room was thick enough to cut, and they needed the release. It seemed like every time they put out a fire, another blaze erupted. It was disheartening, but every member of this group was pig headed enough never to give up.

He looked at Jadxia, and saw the calculatingly relieved smile on her face. The young Trill, who was joined with a symbiont that held memories from many lifetimes, had obviously planned this. She became aware that he was staring at her, and gave him a mischievous wink. He gave her a lazy wink in return.

Jean Luc watched as the three currently conscious members of the group known collectively as the Slayerettes, moved off in different directions throughout the conference room. He had suggested a working party arrangement for the question time, ensuring it wouldn't get out of hand. He moved to join the group led by Rupert Giles. He noticed how those who gravitated to those groups, usually had something in common with the leader of the group. The warriors in the group gravitated to Buffy. The scientists and engineers gravitated to Willow and the scholars, politicians and diplomats gravitated to Rupert Giles. 

****

Part 53

Clark Kent started to feel nervous as Luke Skywalker, Xander Harris and Connor Macleod walked into his quarters. Luke Skywalker was the Jedi Knight, with the incredible series of special powers. Xander Harris was the genetically enhanced doctor with access to the 'Force', who seemed to have his hands in virtually everything. As for Connor Macleod, he was a Federation Ambassador, who seemed to be holding too many cards close to his chest. He seemed to have the whole world on his shoulders and appeared much older than he purported to be.

"Let's talk Clark," Luke said calmly as he looked to Xander.

"Computer, medical emergency quarantine on this quarters of Clark Kent. Authorisation, Harris Pi Omega Seven Niner Four." Xander stated.

"Acknowledged. Medical Quarantine in place," the computer answered.

Clark felt even more nervous as Connor went over to the replicator and ordered himself a Scotch whiskey. He then went and sat on a lounge chair across from the desk where Clark was working.

"What's going on?" Clark asked.

"You know Clark, all of us have secrets, some out of responsibility and some out of deniability. But you seem to be keeping secrets for another reason. Not only that, but there is one secret that you're even keeping from your own partner, something I thought was taboo in these close partnerships. The simple fact is that we know that you're not as meek and mild mannered as you appear to be, so let's talk," Connor stated.

"Why do I have the feeling that you guys are going to take turns beating it out of me, if I don't," he 

said in a joking manner that he did not feel.

"We're not going to get violent on you Clark. We just want to know what side you're on. Everyone here has clear loyalty to what we're trying to accomplish. You one the other hand, seem to be playing your own game on the side, and we want to know why," Luke said.

"I suppose you have already determined that I'm not human," Clark said.

"You've done a good job fooling sensors, but one thing gave you away. The density of your body is five times that of a human. While a doctor usually misses that, I tend to look for any anomalies, no matter how small. What are you Clark Kent?" Xander asked.

"My name is Lord Kal-El of the House of El. I come from Krypton, a planet in the Gamma quadrant. When the Dominion started conquering worlds, we realised that while we had the technical know-how and resources, we did not have the numbers to launch and attack on the Dominion. Our scientists worked out a way of shielding our world from others. Since then, our world has sent out explorers, to find some way of destroying the Dominion. So far, the Federation has offered the best possible chance. I was sent out as a child, and I landed on earth, in a farming community that you know as Kansas. I was found by an older couple who raised me as their own," Clark explained.   
  
"That explains how you were never located. So you seek to destroy the Dominion, thereby removing a threat to your people. We have the determination and the strength but we can always use extra help. Would your people be willing to help us?" Connor asked.

"They are very interested in what you are accomplishing her, unfortunately my people are a reactive sort of people. They want to see what happens before they make the effort." Clark answered.

"Pity, we could have used the extra assistance," Xander said.

"I didn't say that all my people were reactive. Many of those who were sent away from their homes to immerse themselves in alien cultures, like myself, are indeed converging on DS9, and you will find they are a useful group." Clark said with a smile.

"Its time that you reveal your identity to our friends," Luke said as Clark winced.

"You find it painful to reveal yourself to your friends," Luke asked.

"No, I just realised that now I have to tell Lois exactly who I am," Clark said as Xander and Connor winced. They both knew exactly what sort of temper she had.

"Guys, why don't we feign ignorance until Clark's friends turn up. They'll be too busy integrating them into the whole force to start pointing fingers," Xander suggested as the four men looked at each other.

"Gentlemen, I do believe we have a winner," Connor stated.

****

Part 54

Captain Benjamin Sisko, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and various other senior officers waited on the promenade, just outside the docking ring. Ten minutes ago, a group of twenty ships had come out of warp. A communication with their leader revealed that they were members of the Kryptonian Expeditionary Force and they had come her to put themselves under the command of Lord Kal-El, and fight with those of DS9 against the Dominion.

Noone had heard of Krypton or Lord Kal-El, but throwing away the assistance of ten war vessels, was an exercise in madness.

"Coming through, make way for a member of the Interstellar press." Lois Lane said as she pushed through the large group of people, fully intent on being as close to Captain Picard when these aliens left the docking ring. 

She had been trying to find Clark since she had received news, but as usual, he disappeared when something important was going on. He was really quite a pain. But he was also nice, gentle, understanding, friendly, handsome, charming. She stopped, and swore under her breath. Her subconscious had been going over Clark's good points for the quite some time and it was starting to annoy her. He was someone to kick around when she was frustrated, someone to abuse when she was pissed off. But lately, she started seeing him less as her long suffering partner and more as someone she could trust with her very life. He would never lie to her, he would always be there for her. For a person who had spent her whole life, wholly dependent on herself, it was scary.

"Captain," she said with a smile.

He gave her a resigned look, but moved over to give her room. She had heartlessly badgered everyone she could, to get his or her side of the story. She spent her spare time editing and re-editing what had been told. She was looking forward to writing a book once this crisis was over, detailing everything that happened. It would undoubtedly be a bestseller.

The docking door opened and five men and woman walked onto the promenade. All were tall, muscular and had jet-black hair. All wore figure hugging black bodysuits and utility belts. Emblazoned on the chest of their suits were a variety of symbols in an electric colour. For some reason, Lois got a strange feeling in her stomach.

"My name is Captain Benjamin Sisko, commander in charge of this space station, Deep Space Nine. This is Captain Jean Luc Picard, commander in charge of the fleet," Benjamin said as he stepped forward. 

"Greetings Captain Sisko. I am Duke Loh-Mar, of the house of Mar. As requested by Lord Kal-El, we present our ships and ourselves to you. Together we will push the Dominion back to where it belongs," the leader of the group said.

"Will Lord Kal-El be joining us, while we confer?" Jean Luc asked. 

Duke Loh-Mar gave them a confused look. 

"Captains, I was led to believe that Lord Kal-El was already here. It was from this very space station that the message originated, ordering all members of the Kryptonian Expeditionary Force, Alpha and Beta Quadrant garrisons to report here," Duke Loh-Mar stated, starting to feel a little apprehensive.

"Calm yourself Duke Loh-Mar. I am indeed here to take command of the Kryptonian forces." A voice said from above them.

Lois looked up and her heart sank. Floating near the first floor stairs were Xander Harris, Luke Skywalker and her partner, Clark Kent. She knew that he had been studying with the Jedi master, but she hadn't thought that he had discovered how to levitate. Of course, this did not explain the black jumpsuit he wore. The blue symbol emblazoned on the front was a diamond with a stylised 'S' in the middle of it. Clark slowly floated down to the ground in front of her, Xander and Luke landing near him.

"Lord Kal-El, although we have never met, it is an honour to meet the heir to the House of El," Loh-Mar stated.

"Heir?" Clark asked, seemingly surprised.

"Your cousin, Dray-El, was killed fighting the Jem Had'dar. He took many with him. Lord Bayl-El has decreed that you will be heir, and once we have destroyed the Dominion, you will take your rightful place beside him," Loh-Mar answered.

"Very well. But right now we have a war to fight. I see ten ships. How many Kryptonians?" Clark asked.

Lois watched her partner in silence, and suddenly realised that he had shown himself to be different to those around him, many times over. She had never seen it. She had taken it for granted that he was a 'hack from nowhere', a Kansas hayseed who so far below her class that it wasn't worth her effort. All those times, when they argued, and she degraded and denigrated him, he had taken it, when he didn't have to. He was a leader of men, the heir to the leadership of a planet, and she was just a reporter for a galactic news service.

"Come on Lois, let's get out of here," a voice said, as a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the crowd of people. 

Clark and the two Starfleet captains were leading the rest of the Kryptonians off in another direction.

"Let me go Leia. I'd rather be alone at the moment," Lois said to the woman whom she considered a close friend. 

On the trip to earth, while they had been investigating Dominion activity in the Federation Council, she and Leia had spent a lot of time together, and had found a lot in common. Both were strong willed women who fought for causes, putting their lives on the line, time and time again.

"I know you would, but I doubt that's the best thing for you. Its rough finding out that all your preconceived notions about a man are completely false," Leia commented.

"He lied to me. He made me believe he was a regular guy," Lois barked as they walked into Quark's bar.

Finding an out of way table, Leia steered her towards it. Lois wanted to vent her anger, and it was best that she do it in private.

"He's still a regular guy," Leia answered.

"He's a lord, he's next in line to rule a whole planet," Lois argued.

"I've learned that while you can fake an identity, you can't fake personality. Whatever Clark is, be it journalist or heir, he's a nice guy who loves you with every corner of his being," Leia said as Lois blushed deeply. 

"How can you say that. He's majorly important. Its obvious his people need him, but I'm sure the Galaxy can get along just fine without Lois Lane," Lois said somberly.

"Probably, but I doubt he can. I'm sure it was tearing him apart, not being able to tell you what he was, but I'm even surer that he had no choice in the decision. You have to talk to him, instead of brooding about it until you can't see straight," Leia suggested.

"Why should I make the effort?" Lois asked.

"Two reasons. The fact that you love him, and the fact that he looks like a god in a black bodysuit," Leia answered as Lois blushed deeply.

The purely female part of her had noticed how good he looked in that body suit. It hugged every muscle, and there were plenty of them. Gone were the glasses that seemed to physically weaken him in the eyes of others, and in its place was an all-male man.

"Lets go and plan my attack," Lois said firmly as Leia linked arms with her and laughed.

****

Part 55

Leading men could be an exhausting experience, but he could deal with that. What really grated at his ears were the 'Yes, my lords' and 'No my lords' and the 'We would walk through broken glass to die at your side, my lords'. He knew this was only for appearances sake, but he really want to just tell them to call him Clark and be done with it. 

He stopped, realising that was the core of the problem. They would not call him Clark, because he wasn't Clark Kent, he was Lord Kal-El of Krypton. All thoughts of going back to his old life had to be buried, because he could never go back. All those fun times with his adoptive parents, Jonathon and Martha Kent, the editor of the Daily Galaxy, Perry White, the news service's holo imager, Jimmy Olsen, were gone.

Then there was Lois Lane. His best friend, favourite sparring partner, the woman he loved most in the Galaxy. She had been like quantum detonator right in the middle of his soul, since their first meeting. Kryptonians, while being kind, were mostly blunt and straightforward people. They also did not get flustered easily and they were very arrogant. Lois was fiery, competitive, forceful, bossy, emotional and way too much trouble. She went out of her way to get into trouble, and then she managed to get herself out of it with her fast mouth. She risked her life to get a story, and many were the time that he had just barely saved her life from some unimaginable death.

She hadn't spoken to him in a week since he had revealed his true identity. All his messages had been left unanswered, and she always seemed to have left somewhere just as he had arrived. Although it hurt him to admit it, he knew that he had to put all thoughts of Lois Lane out of his mind. Once their business with the Dominion was finished, he would have to go back to Krypton and take over his position as heir to the house of El, and in turn heir to the ruling family of Krypton. 

That's the reason why he had been sent out into the Galaxy. Not only was it safer for him to grow up on Earth, than constantly worrying about the intrigues of the court of Krypton, but the Dominion had started making inroads into the Krypton system at the time. He was left out there as an explorer, and in case the house of El ever suffered a leadership catastrophe. 

So he would lose Lois, and he probably would never feel the same way again.

"Lord Kal-El, an earth woman wishes to converse with you," Kay-Aht of the house of Aht stated huffily as she walked in to the so-called throne room of the Kryptonian flagship. It was a gaudy place, but the throne he sat on was comfortable.

"Stop talking of them as if they are a lower species. They've had more success against the Dominion than we ever have. They are our allies Kay-Aht, and I expect you to remember that," he barked shortly causing the Kryptonian woman to jump.

"Very well, My Lord," she said as she left the room.

Kal-El placed hand before his eyes, getting sick of the superior attitude of his fellow Kryptonians. Despite the fact they had explored the Galaxy, they still acted so provincial.

"Lord Kal-El, how do you feeling about giving an exclusive interview?" a voice asked as a sly smile appeared on his face.

Dropping his hand and raising his head, his jaw dropped open. Lois Lane was standing before him, wearing a black jumpsuit that hugged every curve. And there were so many of them. Her hair was brushed back in a purely Kryptonian fashion. She looked exactly like a Kryptonian, except no Kryptonian woman could combine that wicked sensuality with blatant attempt at innocence.

"You like?" she asked girlishly as she spun around slowly.

Kal-El's heart was beating so hard that it threatened to break through his Kryptonian ribcage.

"What are you doing Lois?" he asked.

"I've been doing research, and this is the standard wear for Kryptonians. I figure if I'm going to be there with you, I might as well start dressing in proper Kryptonian fashion." She said as she moved closer and sat on the arm of the throne and removed the PADD from her utility belt and poised herself ready for an interview.

Kal-el decided, for the thousandth time that he would never understand women, of any species. Still, her calmness was kind of amusing.

"So, you're going to be there with me. And what position would you be filling? Head cook? I don't think so. One meal and I'd have to have you arrested for trying to poison me," he said jokingly.

"How about Consort?" she asked wickedly.

"How about Wife?" he asked steadily as all mirth left her. 

She gazed at him with a certain wonder, before dropping the PADD on the ground and sliding down onto his lap, her arms going around his neck. She kissed him softly, and then moved in to do a more thorough job of it. When they finally broke apart, both were breathless and blushing.

"You were joking about that whole wife thing?" she asked.

"Never been more serious in my life." He answered.

"Clark, you're people will be in an uproar. Having a Terran as the wife of their lord. They're not going to like it," she said, indicating that her research into Kryptonian life had included more than fashion.

"I don't care. You're the only person who I ever let tell me what to do, and I'm not going to start doing this differently." He answered as he hugged her to him, enjoying the feel of their bodies together. 

"Excuse me, Lord Kal-El. I did not think you'd be busy," Kay-Aht stated as she walked in.

"I am busy, but since you are here, allow me to introduce my soon to be wife, Lois Lane," Kal-El stated.

Kay-Aht froze for a millisecond before standing straight.

"I'm sorry Lord Kal-El, but that is impossible. Your subjects will never accept a weakling human as your lifebond," Kay-Aht stated.

"Weak human, huh? I'm giving you two seconds two retract that statement, then I'm going medieval on your ass," Lois said as she pulled herself out of Kal-El's arms, and walked across the floor, before Kal-El could stop her.

"You are a feisty one, but I'd crack you like one of your human eggs," Kay-Aht said arrogantly.

"I think you're talk and no action." Lois said shortly as Kal-El breathed in sharply.

He knew that tone of voice. It was an antagonistic, annoying voice that often raised his hackles. From what he had observed, he was the most relaxed Kryptonian. The rest were arrogant and quick to lose their tempers. 

Kay-Aht threw a punch at Lois, who quickly moved out of the way, grabbed the Kryptonian woman's arm and shoulder tossed her into a heap in the middle of the room. Kay-Aht was up in a flash and tried a different tactic. Kal-El watched with an almost technical calm about him. He was observing the final results of 20+ years of Judo and Karate training, on Lois' part, coupled with a fire, anger and refusal to give up that was all her own. Not to mention a vicious streak a mile wide. Kay-Aht was good, but there was no way she could win.

Finally Kay-Aht stood back. She was bruised and bleeding from the nose, and she was breathing harshly. 

"You were saying something about a weak woman?" Lois asked.

"Are you sure you're not part Kryptonian?" Kay-Aht asked.

"I do hope to have some Kryptonian in me, but that's another story," Lois answered as Kal-El held a hand over his mouth so that he wouldn't burst out laughing.

He was aware of Lois' somewhat ribald sense of humour on occasion, and while Kay-Aht was confused, he had gotten it.

"You will have no problem from me when you announce that your bonding with Lord Kal-El. As long as I get to be in the room when other challengers emerge," Kay-Aht said a wicked smile on her face.

"Sound's reasonable," Lois answered with a shrug.

Kal-El had a feeling that Lois was not going to lack sparring partners when she got back to the Kryptonian home world.

****

Part 56

"I don't see you much," Willow Rosenberg commented as her best friend and boy friend, Xander Harris, walked into the room, slid onto the couch and pulled her onto his lap.

She allowed herself to be pulled along, and put her arms around him and kissed him.

"I've been testing a control group of Kryptonians. Its amazing how different their physiology is considering how similar they are in appearance. What about you, Will? You seem to be playing hard to get also," Xander asked.

"Engineering maintenance and improving the Slayer's morale." Willow said as Xander looked at her seriously. 

"What's wrong with Buffy?" he asked.

"Nothing major. Unfortunately, because of the tension outside the group, people tend to be drawn together. There are a lot of couples discovering each other, and Buffy's starting to feel lonely. It's started with us, got more intense with Jarod and Miss Parker, and finally cracked when Lois and Clark announced their engagement. She's starting to think that because she's the Slayer, she'll never experience it," Willow answered.

"What are we going to do about it. Neither of us can afford an out of sorts Slayer, besides Buffy deserves so much more," Xander answered.

"We do nothing. We monitor the situation, and we jump in if it gets any worse. If we try to fix it now, we'll only break it further. We have to hope that it will fix itself," Willow answered seriously.

"Spoken like my little engineer," he said with a gentle embrace. 

She flushed at his soft words, but seemed pleased, all the same.

He drew her to him, and she moved to meet his lips eagerly. Buffy was forgotten from that moment.

****

Part 57 

Buffy Summers was walking into Quark's place in the middle of the night, as she saw one of the X-wing pilots came downstairs from the holosuites, cursing under his breath, and moving with a certain amount of tension as he approached Quark's bar. The Ferengi was nowhere in sight, giving lie to the idea that he never left the bar.

"Pilot, you need a hand?" she called out as he stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her. 

He had a handsome, youngish face, but the eyes told the story of a skilled veteran of war. What was his name? Gavin Darklighter, that was it. He was from the same planet as Luke Skywalker, and he was one of the hot hands in Rogue Squadron.

"Ensign Summers. You've got to help me. I'm still having a hell of a time with your Federation technology. I can't get the replicators to work, I can't get the holosuite to work, I can't even get the sonic shower to work. I'm sure if I try that transporter, I'll only manage to beam myself into space," he said in an almost frantic tone which made her smile.

He was cute, and she had been feeling quite lonely lately. Why shouldn't she enjoy the young pilot's company?

"Well, lets start with the holo-program that you want to run. I'm presuming that this holo-program is suitable for me to see?" she asked insinuatively as he blushed a deep red colour.

"No, it's not one of the ones that Quark tries to foist on all the space jockeys. Actually it's of a place on your planet earth, called the Sahara Desert," he answered.

"The Sahara? Isn't that a little dry for you?" she asked.

"I lived most of my life on a desert planet. I was feeling kind of homesick. Anyway, Quark and I did a little tweaking with the program, and we've managed to make it look like a reasonable facsimile of Tatooine. I've even set up a T-16 simulator," he said.

Buffy had to admit that she liked that way his eyes lit up. 

"T-16?" she asked curiously.

"A land hovering vehicle that has the capability of atmospherical flight. I used to bulleye Womp rats with it, in Baker's Canyon back home, " he answered.

"I had something similar back home," she answered, remembering her 2360 Ford/Mitsubishi Falcon autoskimmer.

"Would you like to give it a go, with me. I mean, the simulator is fun, but it ain't as fun on your own," he quipped.

"Love to," she answered with a smile.

He moved aside to allow her to walk up the stairs. She found it a gentlemanly move, until a sneaking suspicion crept into her mind, bought on by a comment that Xander had made in high school.

"Gavin, you'd better not be looking at my butt," she warned.

"No ma'am, I know how hard you hit," he drawled.

She laughed and walked up to the holosuite. Taking the isolinear chip from his hand and inserted it. Showing Gavin how to look use it. Together they walked into the holosuite. 

****

Part 58

"Hey commander, what's happening?" a perky voice said, causing Xena to turn around. 

She found herself looking at Flight Officer Gavin Darklighter and Ensign Buffy Summers walking down the promenade. Both wore flight suits, and while Gavin's wore the orange flightsuit that the New Republic X-wing pilots wore, Buffy's was tight enough to be a body suit and was pale pink with white flashes across the shoulder. Upon seeing Buffy's flying skills, Commander Wedge Antilles had suggested that she and other experienced pilots in the group learn in an X Wing. Commander Riker and Lieutenant Commander Rabb had stuck up their hands instantly. Xena had to grin. Even when she was engaged in pilot training, Buffy was still the little fashion plate. Both carried helmets, and while Gavin's hair was mussed up and damp with perspiration, Buffy's was pulled into a tight pony tail.

"Who lent you their X-Wing, Buffy?" Xena asked. 

"Myn Donos did. Told me if I bought it back in more than one piece, I'd also have to be in more than one piece. These space jockeys are very touchy about their rides," Buffy quipped.

"Myn was just pissed that you outscored him in the simulator last week. Lets face it Buffy, you're a natural," Gavin said with an admiring grin as Buffy smiled and put and arm around his back to hug him.

Xena's eyes shot up. Now that was interesting. Not quite boyfriend and girlfriend, but definitely more than casual friends, she guessed. She had heard that Gavin had lost his non-human girlfriend, a year ago during a mission, and was only just getting over the loss. She knew that Gavin would respect Buffy, not only because she could beat him black and blue before he could make a move. Also, Gavin Darklighter was a natural gentleman, a genuine nice guy, and there weren't too many of those in the galaxy.

"Isn't he sweet," Buffy said with a smile.

"As honey. Worf's looking for you Buffy, and Captain Celchu is looking for you Gavin. I'd move if I were you," Xena said.

"Oh well, fun's over. See you Gavin," Buffy said as he stretched up and kissed him on the cheek 

She bounced away, and even Xena had to admit that she looked pretty cute in her flight suit. Xena also noticed how Gavin watched her, a slight blush on his face, but so light-hearted that he looked ready to take off.

"Flight Officer, you don't have clearance to start floating around the promenade," she barked sharply, knocking him out of his silent reverie. 

"Sorry Commander, but she's an amazing woman. We're around the same age, but sometimes she appears much younger, and then other times old as the hills." He said softly.

"She's pretty incredible. With a destiny like that, very few people could keep up that level of enthusiasm, but she does," Xena answered.

"She's amazing, what would she want with a space jockey like me?" he asked as Xena's eyes shone, seeing where this conversation was going.

"Treat her well. She needs all the support she can get. She's not looking for a hero, she's just looking for someone she can take off the cape in front of, and be what she is, a beautiful, vivacious, strong willed young woman. Don't go looking for things to put yourself down about Gavin. That's not what attracted her to you." Xena answered. 

"That's a big ten-four Commander," Gavin said with a cocky smile that was part and parcel of being a fighter pilot.

With that, he walked away, leaving her with a puzzled look on her face.

"Ten-four, what in blazes does that mean? Must be New Republic speak." She asked herself as she turned and walked down the promenade.

****

Part 59

Willow Rosenberg looked up as she felt the presence in her office in engineering. It wasn't often that first year ensigns were given offices, but considering her work with computer hacking and cracking, Captain Sisko had decided to make it official.

Right now, she was looking at Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully of Federation security. Fox was arguably the most paranoid man she had ever met, while his partner was the most cynical person she had ever met. Needless to say, despite their obvious differences, they worked well together.

"Special Agent's Mulder and Scully, what can I do for you?" she asked.

"We've heard rumours that you break into the Federation database on regular occasions," Mulder stated.

"Only when it's required by my duty," Willow said, putting on her best innocent expression.

Neither Fox nor Dana was buying it.

"Right. Come on Willow, from what we understand, you'd probably find a way of breaking into the Dominion mainframes," Dana said.

Willow blushed a deep red. They were incredibly close to her current off duty project. Using a subspace deflector that she had built, using some Borg technology that she had found in Chief O'Brien's storage facility, she had been able to log into the Dominion computer systems. At the moment, she had had no luck, but she wasn't giving up. She hadn't told anyone about it, because she knew that they would waste resources to help her, and she knew that she could do much better on her own, although she had gotten some technical advice from Meg Austin, Chief O'Brien, Geordi La Forge and Broots.

"Anyway. We'd like to ask whether we could get some time on the Federation mainframe. The classified files," Mulder asked.

"Have you gotten permission from Captain Sisko?" she asked.

"We don't need to bother him. This has nothing to do with the current mission, more of a personal inquiry. We actually want to access the secret government files on alien abduction and unexplainable phenomena, held by the United States, Federal Bureau of Investigation," Mulder explained.

"The X Files?" she inquired, realising what they were talking about.

"You know about the X Files?" Mulder said excitedly.

"When Xander and I first started working with Buffy and Giles, I set up an information bot, running from system to system, picking up information along the way. I was just looking for stuff on vampires and demons, but the archived F.B.I, X Files were a gold mine of information. I shunted all the files off into a mainframe black hole. Nobody has tried to access it, so I can review anything I can find," Willow explained reasonably as Dana looked at her for a long while before dropping her head into her hands and groaning.

"There, there Scully," Mulder stated as he patted her on the back lightly.

"I did wrong?" Willow asked.

"Not really, we've been trying to find them for years. Scully's a little disheartened that you found it accidentally while still in high school. Can you set up a down-link for us?" Mulder asked. 

"Just over at the other terminal," Willow said as she pressed some buttons on her desktop, and another computer terminal lit up on the other side of the room.

"I've set it up for browse. Don't try and download any of the information yourself. I'd rather not set off any alarms. Just bookmark what you need and I'll download it later," Willow said as Mulder lead Scully over to the other terminal.

He stopped in his tracks and turned around. Looking at her, a smile appeared on his face.

"What?" Willow asked.

"You look like a Queen on her throne there. It really suits you." He said. 

Willow smiled at that. She had always been so painfully shy, and while Buffy, Xander, Giles and the Academy had helped her, she still felt shy. But put her in front of a computer terminal, and she was a match for anyone.

Willow looked over at Mulder and Scully as they worked away. They were argumentative and picky with each other, but she got the feeling that this had been played many times over, in many areas. They were obviously very fond of each other, even if they did drive each other crazy.

Suddenly her console started beeping. She pressed a button and viewed the results of her most recent algorithm extraction. Her eyes lit up as she began to run scenarios and the like. She had spent two weeks getting the right code sequences and cryptics. Half an hour, she was finished and her heart was beating fast.

"Eep," she exclaimed as Mulder and Scully turned around.

"Ensign, you look ready to hyperventilate," Scully stated.

"Captain's Picard and Sisko, Commander Pappas, Chief O'Brien and Lieutenant Austin, please report to Ensign Rosenberg's office. This is urgent," Willow said.

"What did you do ensign?" Mulder asked.

"You know what you were talking about before?" Willow asked. 

Mulder looked lost, but Scully slowly went through her previous conversation and her eyes widened.

****

Part 60

The indicated officers soon started filing into her office, with other additions. 

Noting the puzzled look on Mulder's face and the shocked look on Scully's face, Captain Sisko crossed his arms and looked sternly at the young Ensign.

"Why am I getting a feeling that you've been getting into trouble again?" he asked.

"I started a little project, a couple of weeks ago. I didn't want to say anything, because I wasn't quite sure it would work, and I didn't want you to waste personnel on it," Willow said.

"Out with it Ensign, we're on the edges of our seats here," Captain Picard said.

"I've hacked my way into the Dominion mainframe," Willow said.

Silence reigned in the room, until Xena walked over and started bashing her head against the bulkhead.

"These kids are going to be the death of me," she said when she came back.

By that time, Miles O'Brien and Meg Austin were going through what Willow had done. 

"Well chief has she done it?" Captain Sisko asked.

"Its probably going to take me a week to determine the how, but yeh she's in," Miles said as Meg nodded her agreement.

"Lets keep this classified. Also, let's quarantine this terminal. We don't want the Dominion affecting our systems. Well Ensign Rosenberg, it appears you've earned yourself a new position. Resident Computer nuisance. I expect you to be on call, while Commander Pappas, Commander Rabb and their counter intelligence team examine whatever they can pull from the Dominion mainframe. Commander Pappas, you know what to look for," Captain Picard started.

With that, the two captains left the room.

"Willow, next time you get involved in a project, please warn us. My nerves can't take the stress," Xena pleaded before walking out. 

The minute the door closed, everyone left in the burst into laughter.

"I just love watching Xena getting shaken up. Couldn't do it myself, she'd hit me so hard I'd go into warp. What's rewarding is that Xena would never punch Willow," Mulder stated.

"Come on Meg, let's get everything sorted out. Why don't you two federation observers find somewhere else to work," Chief O'Brien suggested.

Mulder was about to mouth off, but realised that Miles O'Brien wasn't adverse to planting a boot in their pants to move them.

"Willow?" he asked.

Willow typed some commands into the computer and said, "I've transferred the link to your quarters Mulder. I've put a restriction on down loading. You should be fine." 

Mulder nodded as he and Scully left the room.

O'Brien looked around the room, gave her a puzzled look and said, "All we need is to install a bunk, a large computer control console, and several medium view screens and you'd never need to leave the room." 

"Willow's eyes lit up as she asked, "Can we?"

"Let's just stick to the problem at hand before you start figuring how you can jack yourself into the system full time," Meg said calmly.

"Spoilsports," Willow grumbled. 

****

Part 61 

Luke panted as he ran through the swamps of Dagobah. Not to the most appetising of exercise locations, but he found himself more able to centre himself in the dull and gloomy surroundings, more so than even at the Jedi Academy on Yavin 4. It was the place where he had received his first intensive training in the Force, and being a Jedi knight. It was the place where he had gotten the news that his friends were in trouble. Yoda had pleaded with him not to go. Luke had gone anyway, and had not been able to save Han, had had his hand cut off by his father, and had had to be saved by his sister and Lando Calrissian.

"Charming place," a voice said, startling him out of his brooding reverie and causing him to trip on an exposed root.

Using the force, he caught himself before he fell flat on his face in the mud. Instead he executed a smooth somersault and landed on his feet, right in front of Ro Laren. She seemed surprised that he was able to land properly.

"It has its moments. How are you Laren?" he asked calmly.

He liked her. She had a way about her that reminded him of Corran Horn's wife, Mirax, or even Mara Jade.

"Fine. You know Luke, I've seen some pretty disgusting things in my time, but this takes the cake. Why would anyone want to be here?" she asked curiously.

"It's a good place to hide, for that very reason," Luke answered.

"Well, it's depressing. Mind if I change the view while we talk?" she asked.

"By all means," he answered, curiousity warring with irritation at her way of taking over.

"Computer, give us the Cliffs of Heaven on Bajor," she stated.

"Running," the computer answered.

The surroundings blurred, and in the place of the dark grey swamp was a large grassy meadow, leading to a group of trees and overlooked a large pool of water and waterfalls. His Tatooine upbringing blanched at the sight of all this water, even after all these years.

"Very nice Laren," he said with a smile.

He turned to her and saw her watching him intently.

"You never call me by my last name, as everyone else does," she commented.

"Why should I, Laren is the name you were given. It's a lovely name," he answered as she smiled at him.

"Thankyou. The reason why I came here is, my people have been looking at you X-wing designs, and we think we can make some decent replicas. We want to start training in them, so we'll be prepared." She said.

"Laren. Why aren't you working with the Starfleet people on this?" he asked firmly as she blushed.

"Sorry. I'm not used to cooperation," she answered.

"If you had asked, you'd know that we have three Starfleet officers checked out in X-Wings, Commander Will Riker, Lieutenant Commander Harm Rabb and Ensign Buffy Summers. You'd also know that Chief O'Brien pulled apart an X-Wing, two days ago, and is currently replicating parts so he can put together three X-Wings for those officers, including a series of improvements that he and Lieutenant Commander LaForge have worked out," Luke said calmly.

"Oh hellfire!" she exclaimed realising that 50 hours had been wasted.

"I understand its important for you and the Maquis to demonstrate that you are self sufficient and independent around the larger groups, but you have access to resources, that you are unused to. Make use of them. You've smoothed over your difficulties. Go to Lieutenant Commander La Forge or Chief O'Brien and ask to help," he said without firmness.

"Its difficult, but I'll try," she said.

"Do or do not, there is no try," he replied softly as she laughed.

"You know Luke, one of these days you're going to have to show me a hologram of this Yoda guy that talk you. Sounds like a really aggravating person," she stated.

"Let's see him now. Computer, run Dagobah Beta program," he answered.

"Running," the computer answered as they found themselves back in the swamp.

Laren looked ahead of them, to see a small residence that looked a bit like an igloo. There was a light on inside.

"Come on, we're just about in time for dinner," he said with a wistful smile as she shook her head and followed.

****

Part 62

"Cross sabres with me, Master Skywalker," Meg Austin stated simply, causing Luke to stop in his tracks and turn sharply.

None of his students had attempted to build their own lightsabre, usually a hint that a student was ready to become a knight. As he watched she removed the lightsabre from the pocket of the Starfleet issue engineering jumpsuit. She activated it and he saw the green light that glowed. 

"None of my other students have attempted to put together a light sabre," he commented as he activated his light sabre.

"None of your other students have an engineering background," Meg answered with a gentle smile.

She was really quite pretty, in a perky kind of way. Luke could see beneath the surface, to the constant struggle that she had, to prove herself to her partner, those around her and the memory of her dead father. He saw her unrequited love for her partner, feeling her pain every time he went after another woman that wasn't her.

He threw himself into a couple of testing offensive moves that caught her by surprise. Nonetheless, she defended well, despite her awkwardness. She went on the attack, on her own, and he could feel her getting frustrated.

"Let go of anger, let go of hate, let go of frustration. Allow the force to be your master and your servant," he said calmly.

He felt her working less and letting the force move her more. She had an awed look on her face as she did acrobatic moves that she would never be able to make normally.

When they finally finished, both were perspiring.

"That was enjoyable, Master Luke." She said with a wide grin.

"As our friend Buffy would say, 'totally awesome'," Luke answered as they both laughed.

Turning to walk out of the cargo bay, they saw a figure standing there, looking like he had been frozen in place. 

It was Lieutenant Commander Harm Rabb and he was wearing his X-Wing flight suit. Unlike the New Republic pilots, his suit was jet black, with burgundy epaulettes on the shoulders, indicating his Starfleet rank and field. Luke knew that because there was no official designation or uniform for Starfleet X-wing pilots, so the pilots in question had designed their own flight suits.

"Hi sir," Meg said perkily as she walked over.

"Meg, you're fantastic," Harm answered causing her to blush a deep red.

"I'll leave you two it. I've got things to do," Luke said as he left the cargo bay with a smile on his face.

Meg and Harm looked at each other for a long while, before he said, "It looks like we both need a shower."

She eyed his sweat covered hair and face, and had to conclude that he still looked fantastic. 

"Probably the best idea. I'm meeting Chief O'Brien to go over some systems modifications later," she answered.

"We could share a shower, to save water," he commented as her head jerked around and she glared at him.

"Red light sir!" she barked as he grinned that charming grin.

"Sorry Meg, you left yourself wide open for that one," he answered.

"Dammit Harm, why won't you take me seriously?" she growled as she used the force to slam him against the bulkhead.

"I do, probably more that anyone would believe," he said simply as she stared at him.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Its very easy for me to hide my feelings behind a charming smile. I've been doing it since I was notified that my father had disappeared. But every time I look in the mirror, it amazes me that noone can see how much in love I am with you," he said softly.

Meg's throat clenched as she heard the words she had wanted to hear for a long time.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.

"Because a junior officer being romantically involved with a senior officer would immediately have every promotion, every commendation she received, prescribed to him. I refused to damage your career, you're too good an officer to have your abilities questioned." He answered.

Meg nodded, knowing how right he was. Someone of Harm's reputation would immediately take any credit for something, even if he didn't want it. Despite equal opportunity, Harm's colossal reputation would have eclipsed anything she ever tried to achieve.

"So you went after anything vaguely female," she commented.

"That was the easy part. I knew that they wouldn't last. It was just sex and good times," he quipped.

"Why are you telling me all of this?" she asked.

"Because you've moved past me. I realised that when I watched you and Skywalker duelling. I realised that you've moved past a former experimental flight jockey who has gone as far as he can go as a lawyer. The galaxy is open to you Meg," Harm said as he turned to walk away.

She could hear the goodbye in his voice and realised that she wasn't quite ready to accept that. She had spent two many hours of sulking to let him go now. Using the force, she grabbed him and pulled him back to her.

"What in hell is this?" he asked.

"Sir, do me a favour and shut up," she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

After a short while, his helmet dropped to the ground, forgotten, as he wrapped his arms around her body and pulled her up to him. Meg had to conclude that this was the best feeling in the world, and it left the force for dead.

They pulled away from each other, out of necessity. If they had kept going without breathing, they would have suffocated.

"You mentioned something about a shower?" she asked.

"Uh-huh," he answered, for the first time since she had known him, speechless. 

****

Part 63

"And how did you work this out?" Jean Luc Picard asked Doctor Xander Harris.

Xander had been working closely with the Kryptonians, and had been on hand for one of the most impressive displays of their constitution.

"A crew of Kryptonian engineers were working on updating their weapons systems to Starfleet grade. Several were outside one of the warships, inserting quantum torpedo launchers, when a faulty micro welder exploded, ripping holes in their space suits. Rather than becoming affected by the effects of exposure to a vacuum, they found they could survive, and while they didn't have oxygen, they were able to hold their breaths long enough for a rescue effort," Xander explained as he sat on the edge of the conference table.

"How long was that?" Ben asked.

"Twenty minutes. Needless to say, it was a toss up as to how was more surprised, the Kryptonians or me. I've been working with a Kryptonian scientist on a reason for this, but my initial theory is that the fact that the Kryptonians are born in the shadow of a red dwarf star. The gravitational forces are much different," Xander said.

"But these Kryptonians have spent most of their lives away from their homes. How come this wasn't found out already?" Jean-Luc asked.

"Sheer luck. I've been reviewing the personnel files for the Kryptonians, in regards to their secret indentities, and it should have happened, but it didn't," Xander said as the door to the conference opened and Kal-El walked in.

"I guess Xander's been filling you in on our little surprise," he commented as he sat down.

In his black skintight jumpsuit, he looked very menacing.

"Quite. Your people seem to be a physical manifestation of the legend of the Nietszche's Ubermensch," Jean Luc stated as Kal-El gave him a strange look.

"Friedrich Neitzsche was a philosopher and proponent of the system of government, known as Fascism. Directly translated from the Germanic language of the Terran European region, 'Ubermensch' means 'Over man', but maybe a more suitable translation, is 'Superman'. This indicates a person of excessive skill, strength, dexterity and constitution, better than the average human." Xander stated as all three older men gave him a shocked look.

"When you learn that you're genetically altered, you're taste in reading moves towards more 

obscure topics," he commented with a shrug.

"Anyway, getting back onto the subject. It might do for your scientists to investigate these phenomena. If you have special powers that we can use against the Dominion, then you should know about them," Ben said.

"Actually, that's why I came here. I want to make a formal request, detailing Doctor Harris, to help us investigate these things. Our scientists are very impressed with his work," Kal-El stated.

"Well Doctor, can we spare you?" Ben asked.

"I reckon I could take some time out of my busy schedule to lend a hand," Xander said casually, though none of the three other men in the room were fooled.

They could see how eager Xander was. 

"Very well, he's assigned to you, as an outside expert, but he will not be in your chain of command," Ben said.

"An acceptable compromise." Kal-El answered.

****

Part 64 

"As far as I can determine, the Kryptonians are very Force strong. Maybe they are more attuned to it. The problem is trying to teach them to apply it. They have a certain arrogance that goes against everything the force stands for. It's like having a power cell, with no way of plugging into it," Xander explained to Luke Skywalker.

"That must be extremely frustrating. But I've seen Kal-El levitate, surely he must have some access to the Force?" Luke asked.

"Actually, levitation is another part of their own physical makeup. I've tested all of them. I was thinking. We can only access a certain amount of power, couldn't we somehow attached ourselves psychically with a force strong Kryptonian and somehow expand our own power," Xander asked.

"It might work. Test the procedure thoroughly before implementing it," Luke said firmly as Xander gave him a sheepish grin.

"Still hurrying forward?" he asked.

"Patience is a virtue, Xander, and unfortunately you're not a very virtuous man," Luke said piously causing Xander to break into helpless laughter. 

Luke grinned at him. In truth, Xander was only four years younger than him but because of the years of service, defeating the empire and learning to use the Force, he thought and acted in a manner far older than his actual age. Leia had always said that he needed to relax and enjoy himself. Xander was 23 years old, and yet sometimes he acted like a teenager. He enjoyed his youth and didn't even try to let it go. Being in his presence, allowed Luke to learn how to regain his own lost youth. Luke also knew that Xander was on the razor's edge of moving over to the Dark side of the Force, and had been for years. It had been the help and support of his friends that kept him good. When this was all over, Luke intended to suggest that Xander join him at the Jedi praxeum for a year or two.

"Okay Master Luke, you win. I'll try not to let my eagerness go unchecked," Xander said in a mock sober manner, more befitting a Jedi Master. 

Luke knew that Xander was having a dig at him, but didn't mind.

"Speaking of Jedi studies. I'm aware that the rest of the group has put together their lightsabres. Have you?" Luke asked.

****

Part 66

Willow Rosenberg waited at the airlock. She was currently making herself scarce, because everyone was pretty sure that she was going to get into trouble. It amused her that she, a self confessed computer junkie and mouse, could be considered a trouble maker, but according to Captain Sisko that a computer in her hands was as dangerous as Xena's chakrum.

Right now, she was awaiting a group of women who were deeply involved in her other interest, an interest she had gained while being Giles' research girl, and which she had kept secret from everyone including her friends. She knew that she shouldn't be keeping secrets, but she had no choice in the matter. When she had started this, she had made an oath to keep this secret.

The airlock opened and three young women stepped out. Willow smiled at them as they moved closer. The three sisters, known in the Book of Shadows, as 'The Three', were the most powerful mortal witches in this generation. While being able conjure a wide range of magical skills, they also had a special, separate power each. Pru Halliwell, the oldest of the three, could move things with her mind. It was comparable to the Jedi range of psionic skills. The second oldest, Piper, could stop time in a small area. Phoebe, the youngest, was able to see into the future, but unfortunately her visions popped up whenever, there was no stability to them.

Phoebe immediately threw her arms around Willow nearly crushing her in a tight embrace. 

"Phoebe, I do need to breathe," Willow protested lightly. 

She really liked Pheobe, who reminded her a lot like Buffy. Piper soon followed with a gentle embrace and smile. Piper was a real earth mother type, who cared for her sister's and basically mothered anyone who'd let her.

Willow unconsciously straightened up as Pru kissed her on the cheek. Pru was the oldest of the three, and as Willow believed, had virtually raised her two younger sisters when her mother had died and they had moved in with their grandmother. Pru was more responsible and less approachable than her sisters, but she was always able to give good advice.

She had met the three sisters when she had moved to San Francisco, with Xander and Buffy, when they had been accepted into the Academy. She had been involved in witchcraft in her hometown of Sunnydale, California, and one of her coven had given her the address of where the three lived. The three were the most powerful of all the practicing witches in San Francisco. While the Federation thought they were the only society on earth, wouldn't they be surprised if they knew of the large Wiccan movement. 

"You're looking well Willow, and your uniform really suits you. Is that a lieutenant insignia?" Pru asked. 

"Yes, Buffy, Xander and I were just promoted to Lieutenant j.g." Willow explained.

"You're barely 23, Willow! That's impressive," Piper exclaimed as she hugged Willow again in congratulation.

"Maybe we should go to our quarters before we start talking about anything else," Pru suggested.

"We have to wait until another transport docks with DS9. I have other friends coming," Willow answered.

"Friends?" Pru asked as she tensed up.

"Sisters, Immortal sisters," Willow explained as all three gave her shock looks.

"Where in hell did you find Immortal sisters?" Phoebe asked.

"On the transport to DS9. They were heading to Romulus. They're Federation Ambassadors," Willow answered.

Pru was about to speak when Willow's communicator chirped. She tapped it and said, "This is Lieutenant Rosenberg."

"Lieutenant, this is Ensign Mathers in Ops. You asked us to notify you when the private vessel, 'Salem' came out of warp. The 'Salem' will be docking at docking port 73," a voice said.

"Thankyou Ensign, please inform the docking officer that I'm on my way," Willow answered.

With that, she indicated for the Halliwell sisters to follow her. While they walked along, Pru beside her and Phoebe and Piper bringing up the rear, she filled them in on what was happening.

****

Part 67

"Duncan, do you see who I see?" Connor said from his seat in Quark's bar, as he nudged his distant cousin.

Duncan turned around and his eyes widened with recognition. 

"Hilda, Zelda and Sabrina Spellman. We haven't seen them in what, 150 years?" Duncan stated.

"Hilda, Zelda, over here," Connor called out, causing the group of seven women to turn in their direction.

As the two Immortals stood up, the embraces of two enthusiastic blonde women engulfed them. 

"Duncan Macleod, you gorgeous hunk of man. What in the world are you doing here?" Hilda stated as she kissed him on the cheek.

"This and that," Duncan replied in a non-committal fashion.

"Willow gave us the whole run down on what's going on around here. What amazes us is how you lot managed to keep it secret from the Federation Council," Zelda said.

"Willow, you know that you shouldn't be talking out of step," Connor said firmly.

"Its okay Connor. Out of all the people that we've known in the last 500 years or so, I can safely say we can trust Willow knows what she's doing," Hilda replied as the two groups of Immortals stared each other down.

"You mean that you and Connor are also…" Willow blurted out before clamping a hand over her mouth and blushed a deep red colour.

"Yes Willow, but since you already know of Hilda, Zelda and Sabrina's condition, I suppose we can ensure you'll keep this secret," Duncan stated with a kind smile.

"We ought to get together, a foursome?" Duncan suggested to Hilda and Zelda.

Zelda turned to her niece, who grinned and said, "Go ahead. What sort of niece would I be, stopping my two aunts having a decent night out. I'm sure Willow, the Halliwell's and myself can have some fun together."

"Say a late dinner, meet at Quark's at 2100 hours?" Duncan suggested.

"We'll meet you there," Hilda agreed. 

****

Part 68

"Witchcraft? Okay," Xander said calmly after his girlfriend had finished explaining everything.

Will felt more than a little disappointed. Shouldn't Xander, the king of over reactions, be completely losing it right about now? Shouldn't there be ranting and raving at this point? She was disappointed, she had gone out of her way to get in trouble, and she deserved to be rebuked because of it, dammit!

"You're being awfully cool about this Xander," she said huffily.

"In the last six months I've learned that I'm genetically engineered and that I have access to psionic powers. I've had enough shocks to last a lifetime Wil. Besides, I've always thought that there was something very magical about you Wil, you just happened to confirm it," he replied.

Willow blushed at his sweet compliment. Suddenly her eyes hardened and she gave him a suspicious look. She knew very well that Xander was not averse to using flattery to divert attention away from what was going on.

"You'd better not be playing with me Xander, or I'm going to turn you into a frog," she warned him.

He gathered her in his arms and gave her a kiss that curled her toes, put butterflies in her stomach and made her feel like she was floating. Pulling away from him, she realised that she was actually floating on a cushion of air.

"Oh my," she commented breathlessly. 

"Sorry, I tend to unconsciously use the force when I'm happy," he said.

She smiled at him and returned his kiss as they floated back onto the couch.

"So, you're not mad that I'm a witch?" she asked.

"Will, I suppose I suspected, a long while ago. You were spending too much time researching Wiccan practices and conjuring. Let's face it, we may live in the 24th century, but we're so mixed up in mysticism, we could probably be sent back in time to the 16th century and not draw a comment." Xander replied.

"What we get for following a Slayer. Okay buddy, get off this couch and into the shower. I want you spic and span in your everyday uniform by 1900 hours. I've told Pru, Piper and Phoebe all about you, and I don't want you looking like a slob," she ordered him.

"We could share the shower?" he suggested with that mischievous look that always hit her at hormone level.

"Tempting, but then we'll never see them. Move it Xander," she said as he groaned and got up.

Before she could stop him, he gathered her up in his arms and kissed her passionately on the lips.

"See you soon," he answered as he let go of her and hurried into the bathroom.

"I'm going to kill him one of these days," she answered as she trembled with equal parts desire and irritation.

****

Part 69 

"Gotta love a man in uniform," Phoebe commented brashly as Xander and Gavin bought their drinks back from the bar.

Gavin blushed a deep red but Xander laughed.

"Say the word and I'll supply you with as many men in uniform as you would like, any species," Xander said.

"Willow, I like your boyfriend," Phoebe said with a grin.

"So ladies, what exactly are you doing here? Willow wasn't too specific on the details," Xander asked as he placed his arm on the chair back, behind Willow.

"We're hunting Warlocks. We've been on the defensive for too long. Its time to take the offensive. We heard that Warlocks were working with the Dominion, and we knew Willow was out here, so we came out," Pru explained.

"What about you Sabrina?" Xander asked.

"The Federation Council is unimpressed by the lack of information about the situation in this area, coming from their own federation ambassadors and liaisons, so they asked my aunts to find out what's going on. That was before Willow gave us the lowdown on what's really happening. And now that we know that there are rogue Warlocks around, it appears we'll be joining our sister's in the hunt." Sabrina answered.

"Okay Xander, who's the babe?" Pheobe stated, causing Xander to turn around and look at who had just entered the bar.

He smiled. Most women regarded Luke Skywalker as an extremely attractive man. His remoteness and reserve attracted many women.

"That's Luke Skywalker, my erstwhile Jedi Master and friend," Xander said as he raised his hand to catch Luke's attention.

"Maybe you shouldn't do that," Pru stated ugently.

"He's gonna know that there's something different about you. You make a certain impression on the surface of the Force. I thought that it was just the way I felt about Willow, but when I met the rest of you, I could see the pattern. It would be better if he met you under these circumstances," Xander replied.

The women couldn't fault him on his logic, but it didn't mean they liked it either. All could sense the aura of power around the young looking man with the old eyes.

"Xander, Willow, Gavin, Buffy," he said as he gave Willow a puzzled look before directing his attention to Sabrina and the Halliwell sisters.

All the women at the table turned and stared at Xander, who gave them a cocky smirk in return.

"Luke, I'd like to introduce you to Sabrina Spellman, and the Halliwell sisters, Pru, Piper and Phoebe," Xander said.

"A pleasure to meet four such beautiful women. Spellman? You're related to Ambassadors' Hilda and Zelda Spellman?" Luke inquired.

"My aunts. I'm actually attached to the Diplomatic Council also. I'm a diplomatic attache. You've met my aunts?" Sabrina asked.

"They were dining at the Klingon restaurant with the Macleods. They asked me to join them, but its no fun being a fifth wheel," Luke answered.

"Well, there aren't any fifth wheels around here, so we'd love to have your company," Phoebe said as put an arm around his bicep and prepared to maneouver him into a seat.

Suddenly she jerked slightly, as did he.

"What was that?" Luke asked in a shocked manner.

"What did you see?" Pheobe asked.

"I saw the two of us, fighting back to back against Jem Had'dar, on the promenade," Luke answered softly.

"That's what I saw. I've never had a foretelling witnessed by the person I touch," Phoebe stated.

"What's going on? You're not Jedi," Luke asked sternly.

"It takes a long time to explain. Maybe we should do this somewhere quieter," Xander suggested, seeing that certain questions were about to be answered.

"It's an idea. How about Chateau Harris and Rosenberg?" Buffy suggested, indicating the reasonably large quarters where Xander and Willow now lived.

"Let's go," Luke said.

Gavin and Xander fixed up the bill before following the rest outside.

Part 70

"It was strange. There were Jem Had'dar all over Deep Space 9, and we were fighting them off. Outside the window, a great battle was going on," Phoebe said as the group looked back to Luke.

"That's a fairly succinct and editted version, but correct," Luke answered as Pheobe glared at him.

"Sorry, those premonitions pop in and out so fast that I can't remember all of them," Pheobe answered.

"My training has been fairly more intensive and time rationed. I did not have the luxury of learning every part of my craft. Picking up the most important parts, leaving the rest for reinterpretation later was suitable. Do not feel rebuked Phoebe, while I am able to pick out more details from out shared premonitions, you will undoubtedly gain more power in that aspect than I could ever hope to achieve," Luke said as Phoebe gave him a puzzled look before looking to Xander.

"You're a deep earth driller, he's a surface skimmer. While he'll get the job done faster, you'll have the richer and more valuable cargo," Xander answered as Phoebe lit up and smile widely at Luke, who managed to look both nervous and embarrassed at the same time.

Willow looked over to Piper and Pru, who were watching their sister wrap, the Jedi Master around her little finger. Both regarded it with great amusement. He may be very powerful, but even he wasn't immune to the charms of a beautiful woman.

Willow noticed that Xander was watching the byplay almost gleefully. Buffy was hiding her laughter and Gavin looked clueless, but Gavin was a down to earth sort who didn't look too deeply into matters of the heart. That was probably why Buffy liked him.

"Thank you Luke, you are so sweet," Pheobe said.

Luke blushed deeply and looked to Xander for assistance. Xander crossed him arms and gave him a smug look.

"We should talk to everyone about this. Phoebe's premonitions are usually pretty accurate, and adding the corroboration of Luke, will ensure that they'll listen to us," Willow said as Luke gave her a thankful look.

Part 71

"Witches and Immortals, why should I have expected anything less. Things were getting too quiet around here," Jean-Luc Picard stated as he sat down with his fellow Starfleet captain, and discussed the most recent revelation, initiated by Lieutenant Rosenberg.

"Ever since I started conferring with the prophets, I started believing less in man making his own destiny, and more in fate. It is very likely that fate has bought these people together, to fight a battle for the universe. Coincidence just does not cut it as an excuse for why we have received all this help. If Miss Halliwell's premonition is correct, then at some point in time, the Jem Had'dar will attack in such force, we will not be able to repel them, and our final line of defence will be the station itself." Ben Sisko answered.

"You've had this problem before, with the Cardassians, the Klingons and the Dominion. But this time we have the personnel and the resources to give the Dominion a fight it will never forget," Jean-Luc answered as the door to Ben's quarters opened and Doctor Beverley Crusher walked in.

"I had a feeling that you'd be here." She said with a smile.

"What's going on?" Jean-Luc asked.

"Lieutenant Harris has decided to hold a party in holosuite two. Needless to say its getting bigger and rowdier, and he insisted that his two commanding officers join the party," Beverley answered.

"What's the occasion?" Ben asked.

"Officially it's his 23rd birthday, but apparently he hasn't really bothered to celebrate that in years. Unofficially, he noticed how everyone was getting very tense, and decided that they needed stress relief. As a doctor myself, I have to applaud his methods. Everyone in that holosuite is looking very relaxed." Beverley answered.

"Shall we, Doctor Harris can be fairly inventive when it comes to recreational activities. Have you played his interactive holoprogram 'Sunnydale-Slay City USA'?" Jean-Luc inquired.

"I'm up to level 7." Ben replied as he stood up.

"What is level seven?" Jean-Luc asked the two men walked out of Ben's quarters and headed down the corridor, Beverley in tow.

"Dead man's party. Zombies crash a coming home party," Ben answered.

Beverley watched the two men talk about the most popular holo program on the station with a grin on her face. Even with doom staring them in the face, there was still room for fun.

Part 72

"What's going on?" Willow asked as she approached the large group of intoxicated women, who were watching a scene before them with fascination.

Xander's idea for a party to celebrate his birthday had bought out all the hedonists, and the amount of synthehol, and just plain alcohol that was being imbibed, was downright incredible. 

"We're watching a skill hunter following an elusive prey," Xena quipped as several of the women laughed.

"What?" Willow asked in a bemused manner as she looked in the direction they were looking.

There was Phoebe Halliwell, moving closer and closer to Luke Skywalker, who was backed up against a wall. Phoebe was looking particularly predatory and Luke was looking for somewhere to flee and failing.

"Haven't you ladies got anything better to do?" Willow asked sternly, shaking her head in wonder.

Xena looked at the rest of the women, who shook their heads.

"No, not really," they answered in unison.

"You lot are unbelievable," Willow said.

"Coming from the girl who's boyfriend is running the betting pool, we take that as a compliment," Maggie Beckett quipped as Willow's eyes went wide.

"He wouldn't," she protested before closing his eyes and shaking her head, before continuing, "He would. How are the bets looking?" 

"Most bets are that she'll get him, the matter is the timing. I've lost 100 credits, but you got to admire his agility," Lois Lane said.

"Do they know?" Willow asked.

"She knows, who do you think made the first bet with Xander?" Sabrina stated amusedly.

"We have a first mutual kiss, mark the time," Meg Austin stated.

Xena pulled out a PADD and checked the details, before swearing in an unladylike manner.

"Xander got it again. He's picked ever single one of the criteria in the time limit, damn!" she stated as the rest groaned.

Willow looked over to her boyfriend, who was watching the flirtatious dance with an evil gleam in his eye. She knew exactly what Xander had done, she may not be a Jedi, but she could read his mind. She didn't even need to ask him to clarify the details, she knew.

First he had cornered Luke and confirmed that Luke liked Phoebe. Then he had goaded Phoebe into the bet, and set up certain ground rules. Phoebe had fallen into line, and had started the fall of dominoes, with everyone else wanting a piece of the action. Then Xander had approached Luke again and convinced him to court Phoebe in a certain manner, not giving in to her aggressive nature. He then manoeuvred Luke into going by the rules that he had set out. 

Neither would know that they had been set up beautifully. Willow knew she should tell her friends, but she couldn't depend on them to hold off killing Xander, and she kind of liked her boyfriend, despite his sometime devious nature.

The girls would think they had orchestrated the courtship of the Jedi Master and the Witch. Phoebe would think she was the one who was pushing for it. Luke would think he was following a series of obscure courtship rules for this culture, but ultimately, Xander had swindled them all. Undoubtedly this would pay for the party they were now enjoying, which he had planned to pay for out of his own pocket, despite her protests that the costs would be too prohibitive. He had said he had it covered.

"He must be using those Jedi powers of his, only way I can think of to scoop the pool," Lois grumbled.

"Try old fashioned manipulation Lois," Willow said beneath her breath.

Lois was always wrapping the men on this station around her finger, and now she hadn't even recognised that someone had played her like she had played many others.

As the women mourned their lost credits over numerous glasses of Xander paid alcohol, Willow decided to approach her boyfriend. He gave her a delighted smile before pulling her into his arms and kissing her.

"Hey my little witch, what's going on?" he asked.

"You realise that I hold your life in my hands. A couple of words in the right ear, and you could get ejected out an airlock, sans zero grav suit," she said as he chuckled.

"Let's keep this our little secret, okay?" he asked.

"I might be persuaded to keep my silence," she said with a grin.

"I'm very good at persuasion," he answered as he put his arms around her.

Part 73

"Lieutenant Harris, next time you have a party, please serve only synthehol. We can't afford the lost man hours," Captain Sisko asked as he and the doctor walked down the promenade.

"Tell me about it. I've been treating the aftermath all morning. People are fickle creatures. They love you the night before, but they despise you when the hangover kicks in," Xander replied wryly as they watched Xena and Gabrielle stumble towards them, both very pale and unsteady.

"Xander?" Gabrielle asked.

Benjamin watched with some amusement as Xander removed a hyper-spray from his pocket and injected the two. The effect was almost immediate as they straightened up noticeably, their faces colouring, and their eyes clearing.

"Thanks, we needed that," Xena said.

"May I suggest fresh Gha'k for breakfast, just the thing to chase away the blues," Xander said.

Ben watched in amazement as their eyes became distressed, and hands were thrown over mouths, before they rushed in search of the nearest bathroom.

"That was cruel Doctor Harris," Ben said, though the grin on his face told a different story.

"Fun though," Xander answered with a laugh.

"You're definitely a change from when I first met you. You were a kid, a green kid, but you had a cocky sense of humour," Ben said.

"I've changed a lot, learned some things about myself that I hate, and other things that give me joy." Xander replied.

"Do you think that Miss Halliwell's skill for future telling will come to pass?" Ben asked.

"Willow might have all confidence in that power, but I've read enough to know that greater accuracy comes with an age that Phoebe hasn't reached." Xander answered.

"I hope you're right, because I don't know how many desperate fights for survival this place can take," Ben answered as they continued to walk along the promenade

Part 74

"The Dominion have stepped up their attacks and forced us to retreat in numerous sectors. I suppose we had to expect the tide of battle to switch to them," Jean-Luc stated to the numerous leaders.

"We can win single attacks, but we can't match them in a solid push. We don't have the manpower. Maybe it is time we call in the legitimate authorities. We need Starfleet, the Romulans, the Klingons and even the New Republic," Ben said.

"We won't get it. I've spoken to some contacts. The Federation knows enough about our actions here to officially disavow our actions. You can expect all our contacts and pipelines to dry up in the next couple of weeks," Harm Rabb stated, his eyes heard.

"So, are we to be considered renegades like the Maquis?" Ro Laren asked, a certain amount of irony in her tone.

"No, they just won't acknowledge our existence. We may be using Starfleet equipment and wearing Starfleet uniforms, but our records have been erased from all official ledgers, etc," Harm explained.

"The bastards sent us to Coventry!" O'Brien cursed.

"As you were Chief O'Brien! Nothing will be accomplished with name calling," Benjamin barked.

"Chief O'Brien is right though. If we win, the Federation will take credit, if we lose, we will be forgotten. We're on our own now people we need to stop even hoping that another organisation will help us. In fact it's very likely that the Dominion has managed to infiltrate the Federation again," Harm said seriously.

"Many of this group have never been involved with the Federation, for our sakes and their's we should take this to heart. If the Federation refuses to acknowledge our actions, then we should cut all official ties with them. This station is owned by Bajor," Benjamin stated.

"I think I can ensure that Shakaar lets us continue to use DS9. He and many members of the government know how defenceless they are without a Starfleet presence, and by washing their hands of you, they've pretty much said they're wiping their hands of Bajor. I'm sure the idea of an independent fighting force wanting to use DS9 as a base would be greeted favourably," Major Kira said.

"Agreed, I have pro Maquis supporters in the government who would support this," Ro Laren stated.

"The Klingons never run from a battle, especially one so honourably fought," General Martok boomed.

"The Pro-consul has withdrawn our fleet, but has accepted the requests for leave, from the captain's and crew of a squadron of Warbirds," the Romulan admiral said as all grinned.

"The Krypton fleet will stay with those who have helped us so far." Kal-El stated.

One by one, the leaders of the group, gave their consent to remain with the battle. All the Starfleet officers removed their communicators and dropped them onto desk.

"Suggestion, a single identifiable uniform and crest," Xander Harris said as all looked at him.

"Computer, access personal log entry for Lieutenant j.g Xander Harris. index 47777.9," Xander said.

That was six weeks ago. All listened curiously.

"One day soon the Federation is going to get a better idea of what we're doing out here, and do one of two things, assist us or damn us. I'm betting the latter, and knowing this group as I do, they're not going to take their ball and go home. They'll keep fighting, but they need something to unify them. Computer create attachment to this log entry," Xander's voice stated as all looked at the young man.

He had contemplated what would happen, several weeks before they got the news.

The computer began to show black form fitting outfits, similar to the Krypton uniform, but less body hugging, and they were covered in pockets. There was also a crest that showed a white representation of the wormhole. Out of it were coming Jem Had'dar vessels. A red circle surrounded this representation, and a red line ran diagonally through the representation. It spoke to all of them, giving them an idea what they wanted to accomplish.

"Dominion Busters?" Jadxia Dax asked as he grinned.

None of them understood the reference, but he obviously did.

"Who you gonna call?" Xander answered as Jadxia laughed.

"I like it. I reckon most of us can get away with wearing black. Most of us already do," Benjamin stated with a smile.

"So what do we call ourselves?" Jean-Luc answered.

"We're taking the uniform and crest from Xander's warped little mind, why not take the title as well. I vote for 'Dominion Busters'," Xena said as she looked at Gabrielle who grinned and raised her hand.

"Why not. I like it!" Harm said.

Despite its unknown origins, except for two widely grinning science staffers, the rest of the group accepted the name, crest and uniform.

Part 75

"We named this force after a cheesy 20th century movie about a group of college dropouts who chase ghosts!" Willow exclaimed, wishing she had never wheedled the information out of Jadxia.

"It wasn't my fault that Jadxia was able to connect the crest with where the idea came from. If you remember, she was the one who said the name. I may have been thinking along similar lines," Xander replied.

"If the rest knew half of the things you've gotten away with, you'd be drawn and quartered by now," she said huffily as she stormed off.

Now she knew how Xena felt, every time she arrived on the scene with a new revelation, It was fairly nerve rattling, and irritating.

"See you after your shift my love," Xander said softly.

Willow stopped and turned. She saw the adoring look in his eyes and knew she couldn't be angry for him too long. She had waited a long time for that look to appear in his eyes, and now she didn't intend on letting it go without a fight.

"You're impossible," she growled as she went over and kissed him before leaving their quarters.

"Hi Willow," Phoebe said as she walked up towards her.

"Hey Phoebe, haven't seen you around." Willow commented as they hugged each other.

"I've been busy with Luke," Phoebe said as she blushed prettily.

"I've noticed that," Willow answered.

"Am I crazy Wil. He's so mature and responsible and wise and sedate, and I'm…" Phoebe commented.

"You're Phoebe. A warm, loving, enthusiastic person that Luke is obviously completely rapt in, if his eyes are anything to go by. Don't wish you were something different, because he obviously doesn't." Willow answered.

"Thanks, I needed that. Speaking of men we love, is your man in?" Phoebe asked.

"He's lying on the couch, and it looks like he plans on staying there all day until his shift starts. I'm trying to think of some way of getting him off his rear," Willow said sourly.

"Way ahead of you. Luke is holding a summit between the witches, Jedi and Kryptons. He thought it would a good idea to thrash out a unified attack/defence strategy in event of a Dominion attack. We can present it to the commodore at the next Tactical meeting," Phoebe said.

"That was a mouthful," Willow said wryly as Phoebe grinned.

"His exact words. I offered to get Xander, because something has been bothering me. Luke mentioned certain courtship rituals he had obeyed while courting me, and I thought they were from his culture, but then he had said Xander was very informative. Did Xander set me up?" Phoebe asked.

"Actually Xander set everyone up. I shouldn't be saying this, but you deserve to know," Willow said as she related Xander's whole plan.

By the end, Phoebe was standing there with her mouth open.

"Is there any chance we can send him to the Dominion for a couple of weeks, they'll run screaming from the Alpha quadrant by the time he's finished with them." Phoebe finally suggested.

"I kind of like Xander right where he is. Please don't tell all of those who were in the betting pool, okay?" Willow asked.

"But he ripped everyone off!" Phoebe protested.

"The proceeds of which he used to pay for the party in which everyone had a good time," Willow answered.

"Ah hell Wil, you know I can't argue with you when you give me that puppy dog look!" Phoebe answered.

"I know. Besides, I didn't say you couldn't torture him a little, just don't cause him to be chased down the promenade by 30 screaming women." Willow said.

"I can live by those rules. I'll see you later," Phoebe answered before walking up to Xander's door.

Part 76

Jean-Luc Picard observed the large group of senior officers who were crowded into the observation lounge. All had adopted Xander Harris' cleverly designed uniform and crest. Even the Kryptonians had foregone their body hugging outfits for the looser outfits. Still, they had the crests for the separate houses, emblazoned on the right hand side of their chest. 

Each group that made up the Dominion Busters (Jean-Luc was sure there was more to that name than the science officers, Lieutenant j.g Xander Harris and Lieutenant Commander Jadxia Dax were admitting, but both remained decidedly close mouthed) had adopted the uniform, but with their own cultural accessories. The Bajorans wore their decorative earrings, the Starfleet personnel still wore their Starfleet issue communicators, he Klingons wore armour and weapons and the Romulans still managed to make them look sinister. Luke, Leia and the New Republic group added the new republic insignia to their uniforms. He was glad for the solidarity that the wearing of these uniforms engendered.

It felt strange to be out of the uniform he had worn just about all of his adult life, but when he thought about it further, he realised that Starfleet had changed the uniform on numerous occasions, This could be considered just another uniform change. The change of rank was something a little more difficult to swallow. From a Starfleet Post Captain ready to take the next step up the ladder to Admiral, he had been elected as Overall Commander of the Combined Dominion Buster forces. He was filled with pride at the sense of trust that engendered. Now he had to get this large group of idealistic people through an attack by the most technological advanced force in the Galaxy, apart from the Borg.

"Computer, start log, stardate 47710.5," he said.

"Sure thing Doc," the computer's voice replied with the sound of a very familiar cartoon rabbit, causing everyone in the observation lounge to start chuckling.

"Computer, I want Lieutenant j.g's Willow Rosenberg and Xander Harris in my office, ASAP!" he barked.

"You're despicable!" the computer replied in the voice of a little black duck, as the group didn't even bother to hide their hilarity, leaning against bulkheads and the table for support as they laughed helplessly..

Jean-Luc Picard went for a cup of Earl Grey. Those two were going to be the death of him. In between Willow's computer mastery and Xander's highly inventive and mischievious mind, they had the whole of DS-9 set up like one big prank. It eased the edge off the tension, but it was damn frustrating most of the time.

Part 77

"Should I ask?" Buffy asked with some amusement, as Xander and Willow walked into Quark's covered in dirt and grime.

She was sitting with Phoebe and Sabrina, and had been waiting for Willow. 

"Butthead here didn't think we'd get in trouble for tweaking with the vocal command systems," Willow grumbled, pointing her thumb at Xander, who was moving further down the bar, a cowed expression on his face.

"You're not really angry with him, are you Wil?" Phoebe asked.

"No, it was fun, up until the point when Captain Picard busted us big time and suggested a shift of cleaning dilithium filters might make us consider the consequences of our actions. Captain Picard was right about one thing. If we don't drag Xander back, he's going to be as much trouble for himself as us," Willow answered.

"Lieutenant Harris, you have a priority incoming communique from Doctor Michael Harris," the computer simulated voice said.

"Acknowledged, patch it through to my private office" Xander said dully as he placed the drink in front of his girlfriend, and without acknowledging the rest, walked out of Quark's.

"Did you see his face? Its time like these that remind you what a scary person he is, are you alright Wil?" Phoebe asked.

"He's always in a shocking mood after talking to his father, and they haven't spoken since he found out he was genetically enhanced. I'll bet that his father has found out how Xander used his name to get into the Centre. Maybe I should be there with him?" Willow suggested.

"No, Xander would never allow it. Your job is to make him feel like he's worth something, after his father has finished making him feel like crap. Its not your job to defend him, Xander would never allow that," Buffy said.

She knew these things from a long an interesting talk she and Xander had had, in a bar in San Francisco, in their first year of the academy. Xander had always treated willow like his best friend, and during that conversation, he had spoken about how much he cared for and needed her. Although he hadn't twigged to the fact, that talked had shown Buffy that he was hopelessly in love with his long time friend.

Willow seemed quite surprised by Buffy's insight and nodded, waiting patiently for her man to come back to her.

Part 78

"Alexander," his father said, and despite the distance they were away from one another, he could feel the animosity and distaste in his father's voice.

"Father," Xander replied, drying his hair off.

He had kept his father waiting long enough for him to have a shower, and he was sure the old man was seething now.

"This is intolerable, you have used my name to betray long time colleagues and friends. You have betrayed the oath you swore to uphold, and now you consort with the riffraff of the galaxy," Doctor Michael Harris said coldly.

"If those are your longtime colleagues and friends, may I suggest that you either get new friends or admit that you hang out with immoral, treacherous scum. Secondly, I did not betray the oath the oath betrayed me. And thirdly, these are the finest, most dedicated people in the whole galaxy, self serving, insulated egotists like yourself should be thankful that there are people out there who would actually risk their lives for the lives and freedom of others." Xander answered coldly.

"I've had enough of this. I've got approval from the Federation Council to take you away from that horrible place. You will take the next transport returning to earth," Doctor Harris answered.

"Father, for years, you've never listened to me, always put me down. Well now you will listen to me. You are a traitor to basic sentient life form rights. You are allied with people that are against everything that the constitution of the United Federation of Planets stands for. You are a parasite on the ass of humanity. Your medical discoveries may have been great, but they were never for anyone else but yourself. I may die out here, but dying is better than living with you. At least out here I have people who trust me and actually think I'm worth something, and a woman who doesn't love me for who's son I am, but what sort of man I am," Xander said in a dangerously soft voice.

"A woman, are we talking about that little Jewish tramp Willow Rosenberg, that's been sniffing around you all your life. She's not in your class, and that's saying something, considering you have no class!" Doctor Harris said, and stopped talking as he saw the icy anger in his son's face.

"You just crossed the line father. You insulted the most loving woman in my world. I never wanted to try this before. I'm a healer, but now you'll see what I can do to you," Xander said as he raised his hand.

Doctor Michael Harris, many light years away, in his laboratory on earth, suddenly grabbed at his throat, and tried to breath, but it was impossible. It felt like a hand was squeezing the life right out of him.

"My teacher says that the application of the force indicates how susceptible a person is to the dark side. I have been skating on the edge of the dark side for years, and I don't intend to fall over the edge, but count this as a warning. Where ever you go in the galaxy, I can find you and I can kill you, and there's not a damn thing that your discoveries, your contacts and your awards can do about it. If you attempt to work against me, if you intend to hurt those whom I consider as friends, and more family than you ever were, then I will reach across the galaxy and cause your life to terminate. Am I making myself clear?" Xander asked.

Already purple in the face and on his knees, Doctor Michael Harris nodded his head sincerely.

"As long as we understand one another father, goodbye. End transmission," Xander said calmly as the view screen blacked out.

Xander bowed his head, and sighed, knowing how close he had come to choking his father to death. It was only the memory of Willow's face when he told her and the disappointed look on the face of Luke Skywalker that had turned him away from a path that would have ultimately led to the dark side. The seductive power of the Dark side just could not compete with the love he felt for his Willow, and the trust that those around had put in him, when in the past there had been no trust.

Recovering some semblance of control, he turned to find a wide eyed Doctor Bashir standing in the doorway. 

"I had no idea that the force could reach so far," Julian said, gulping.

"Normally it doesn't, but I've been genetically altered as well as being force strong. It amplifies my range and power. I couldn't reach into the Gamma or Delta Quadrant, but I can reach as far as earth, which means half way across the alpha quadrant. Julian, please, stop looking at me like I'm a monster. It was the only way I could make my father leave us alone. My father doesn't respond to persuasion, you really have to scare him," Xander said.

Julian walked over and placed a hand on Xander's shoulder.

"You know, for years I admired your father and tried to emulate him. Now, I really don't like him. I have spoken to Doctor Green about the psychological and emotional pitfalls of the force. Out of all the force users on the station, you seem to be the most susceptible to going over to the dark side," Julian said seriously.

"I've spoken many times with Master Skywalker about it. Like the rest of my life, I seem to be tightrope walking on the end of a precipice, one step away from slipping and falling into oblivion." Xander explained.

"Let your friends and loved ones be your pole Xander. Let them give you the balance you need," Julian replied.

"Luke's own father had a wife and two children, and yet he was turned to the dark side, and Luke said that I'm even in power with him. Power corrupts and I can feel it corrupting me. Its so much easier to use the force, than my own two hands. Sometimes during an operation, I let the force take over and my mind goes into stasis. I get the work done so much easier," Xander said.

Julian was shocked at this admission from his good friend and cohort.

"What are you going to do?" Julian asked.

"Bajor, I need to spend time in a spiritual place, devoid of power and anger and competition." Xander said as he gave Julian a pleading look.

Julian contacted Captain Sisko.

"Captain, I'm puttting Doctor Xander Harris on sick leave for two weeks. Could you detail a runabout to take him to Bajor?" Julian asked.

"Is there a problem Doctor Bashir?" Captain Sisko asked.

"Overwork and stress. Nothing to worry about, but I'd much rather treat it before it becomes a hassle," Julian explained.

"Very well Doctor Bashir. The Runabout Ganges has been detailed for Doctor Harris' use, Sisko out," Captain Sisko answered as he signed off.

"Thankyou Julian," Xander replied before walking out of the medbay.

Part 79 

"I don't like the idea of Xander being out in the wilds of Bajor by himself," Willow said firmly to Julian and Luke. 

Julian was in his early thirties and Luke was in his mid twenties, yet these were the two that Xander considered his best male friends on the station. It was Julian who had put him on sick leave, and it was Luke who had gotten him involved in the Force in the first place. These two she blamed for Xander's disappearance and she considered getting Buffy to beat Xander's location out of them, because right now, they were stonewalling her.

"Willow, at the moment, Xander is having a crisis of conscience. He used the power of the Force to nearly choke the life out of his own father. His mind is in a mess, and this is one thing where a loving woman and good friends can't be of any help. He needs to get away from all external stimuli and turn himself inward. He has to see the good things about himself." Luke said.

"But I'm always telling him how good he is. Surely he can believe me!" Willow exclaimed.

"Willow, how much do you know about hypnotism. Anyway, we all have a conscious and subconscious mind. There are certain emotional and psychological triggers that act as a mirror on the unconscious mind. So that while the conscious mind is accepting of ideas and concepts, upon contact with the unconscious mind, the idea will be reflected away. That's currently the state that Xander's in at the moment. He can't accept the fact that he's much better than he's been received over the years. He has to work it out on his own, using the force and that inner strength that he doesn't claim to have, but the rest of us know he has in spades," Julian explained. 

"Okay, I'll accept it, but it doesn't mean that I have to like it," Willow answered sorely.

"I wish we could do something about it, but Xander's at a juncture in his life, and we can only pray that the time spent in meditation will put him on the right path," Luke said.

Part 80

"You have much power," the beautiful and exotic looking woman commented as she walked out of the forest and towards the clearing where Xander was seated, cross legged, trying to empty out his mind and failing.

"And virtually no control over it. Greetings," he said calmly. 

The last couple days spent isolated in the virgin forest, on an uninhabited section of southern continent had provided some measure of peace, but no answers.

"You are polite. I had not expected to find a human male in a Bajoran forest." She commented.

"You're hardly what I would consider to be a native," he commented with some amusement, noting her ridgeless nose.

"Its so difficult to find truly isolated places to hide. I have enemies who would remove my head without thought. I had thought you had been sent by them, when you entered the forest, but I have watched you, and you seem to be a man on the horns on a dilemma," she answered.

"And they're big bloody horns. I feel like a very unlucky matador," Xander replied as she smiled.

"It was a barbaric sport but a fascinating spectacle," the woman commented as Xander got a funny feeling in his stomach.

She spoke of bullfights like she had been to one, which was impossible because it had been outlawed for three hundred years. Impossible, except for a certain group of people.

"You're an immortal, aren't you?" he asked as she gave him a shocked look.

"How did you know?" she asked apprehensively.

"Some of my best friends are immortals," he answered as her apprehension turned to fear.

"Which Immortals?" she asked, dread mixing with a certain resignation.

"Duncan and Connor Macleod, and Zelda, Hilda and Sabrina Spellman," Xander replied.

The woman's face smiled and she seemed lit up from inside.

"The Macleods and the Spellmans are good people, they have been my allies in the past. Where are they?" she asked.

"On Deep Space Nine, the space station that sits in orbit," Xander replied, happy that he could help one person.

She stopped and looked at him.

"When do you travel to Deep Space 9?" she asked.

"I have another ten days, but I'm seriously doubting that will be enough," Xander answered.

"I am Cassandra, the Immortal Witch. Although I can protect myself from some attacks, I am unable to counter all attacks. I sense you have fighting skills, as well as other skills. If you were to use these to protect me, I will assist you. I have much experience in helping troubled young men sort out their problems," she said.

"Cassandra, I had thought you were a myth. My Willow speaks of you often," Xander said.

"Only practitioners of the wiccan arts, and my enemies and friends know of me," she said.

"Willow's my little witch. She's the one who bought the Spellman's to DS9, and the Charmed Ones, if that means anything to you?" Xander answered.

Cassandra looked like a poleaxed cow. 

"The Charmed Ones are in the space station above me!" she exclaimed.

"Listen, if you want to hurry off, I can take you back to the space port and put you on a transport for DS9, I can work out my own problems," Xander said.

Cassandra stopped and looked at him, before shaking her head.

"No, you require my assistance. The Spellmans and Charmed Ones can wait, besides I'd be a fool to travel to DS9 without a trusted escort and protector." Cassandra said.

Part 81

"Unfortunately, it appears that your Jedi Master's beliefs are very rigid. You're either good or your bad, you're with us or against us. I do not blame him, it was the product of his training. He was taught to see in black and white, unfortunately negating all the shades of grey inherent in the spectrum. That might be fine for warriors and technicians, but you're a creative thinker, a surgeon, a healer. You need to think on tangents," Cassandra explained to Xander.

"What about what I did with my father?" Xander asked.

"Did you want to kill your father?" Cassandra asked.

"In the back of my mind there was a desire to remove his life from this plane of existence, but mostly I knew how manipulative my father could be. If he put his mind to it, he could cause a great deal of damage to our fight if he chose to. I just wanted to warn him off in a way he would take notice of," Xander said.

"And how did you feel when you used the force to close your father's throat?" Cassandra asked calmly.

"This immense feeling of control, telling me that I could do anything I wanted to do. But then I thought about my Willow, and I couldn't continue. When I released it, I felt so sick, it nearly bought me to my knees." Xander answered.

"There are some people who are inherently bad, as there are those who are inherently good. The rest spend their time in the middle, occasionally drifting from one side to the other as the mood takes them. Maybe it would be a good idea to explore your dark side for a while, get to know it, instead of hiding from it. You know what they say about better the devil you know," Cassandra suggested.

"And what happens if I can't come back?" he asked.

"Then I will bring you back. Don't underestimate me Xander. I'm over four thousand years old, and have practiced my art for a goodly proportion of that," she said firmly.

"I put yourself in your hands then. How do I?" Xander asked.

"Those dark impulses you struggle against, embrace them," Cassandra answered as Xander nodded.

Though his eyes showed his extreme fear, he closed them and bowed his head. He jolted several times before raising his head. The eyes were cold, devoid of mercy and compassion. They were the eyes of conquerers, the eyes of the Four Horsemen.

"Well Cassandra, you let me loose, now what are you going to do?" Xander asked in a dead, inflectionless tone.

Part 82

Xena pulled Gabrielle and Jadxia out of the way, to avoid the stampede. Actually it was less of a stampede and more of two petite lieutenant j.g.s hurrying through the promenade, heading towards the docking ring.

"Should I ask?" Gabrielle asked as Jadxia gave her a mischievious look, before pressing her communicator.

"Ops, this is Commander Dax, has the Runabout Ganges docked?" she asked.

"Just docked minutes ago Commander," O'Brien's relaxed Irish brogue answered.

"You become a mind reader too?" Xena asked with some amusement as they unconsciously walked towards the docking ring.

They had missed Xander. His irrepressible good humour and friendliness had made every day a little more worth living. The two weeks he spents at a retreat, to combat his 'Jedi' style mental breakdown had been slow and it would be good to see him back.

They arrived at the docking ring to see they weren't the only ones. In fact it was getting kind of crowded with all the people standing around the docking ring.

The docking door opened and Xander walked out with a tall exotic woman on his arm. Xena could hear Willow's gasp and waited for the explosion.

"Cassandra!" a voice exclaimed, causing her to turn.

Xena watched as Duncan Macleod, the immortal Federation ambassador broke through the crowd as the woman released Xander's arm. She leapt into his arms and he spun her around with sheer joy.

She cocked a famous eyebrow, wondering what was going on. Xander arrives back from a retreat in Bajor with a beautiful woman, who happens to be a friend of the honourable and proud Duncan Macleod of the Clan Macleod.

"That's Cassandra?" Zelda exclaimed.

Xena did not like secrets, so using one muscled arm, she grabbed the Immortal Witch by the scruff of the neck and dragged her over. Jadxia was mildly shocked, but Gabrielle just gave her a resigned shake of the head.

"Who's Cassandra?" Xena asked.

"Cassandra is an Immortal Witch, the oldest of our kind. She's over 4000 years old, one of the oldest of all the immortals. Methos is older by 2000 years, but nobody has had a decent sighting of Methos in 500 years," Zelda rambled on.

She noted that Duncan had put Cassandra down, and had led her back to Xander. Xander in turn walked her straight over to Willow. The two exchanged pleasantries and then Cassandra embraced Willow wholeheartedly, and Willow returned the embrace willingly.

This was a signal for everyone to relax. Xena allowed herself to examine Xander. He had lost quite a bit of weight, and his features were a lot less youthful. Two weeks on Bajor had matured him beyond his age.

"It common amongst Jedi once they've reached a certain level in their growth. Xander overcame a torturous challenge and though his body paid for it, mentally and psychologically he's a lot better for it," Luke said as she stood beside him.

"I wish you'd stop reading my mind Luke," she said in an annoyed fashion.

"I can sense your feelings, not your thoughts Xena. They are close to the surface like Commander Worf's feelings. They are honest, straightforward and infinitely less tiring," Luke replied.

"He's complimenting you," Gabrielle answered, regarding her friend's confused expression.

"Right," Xena answered dryly.

"I'll be leaving now," Luke answered as he moved forward to greet Xander.

"My student," Luke said calmly.

"Master," Xander replied equally as calmly.

"You went over to the dark side and you came back," Luke commented.

"I need to explore that side of my nature, lest it take me by surprise later," Xander answered.

"Welcome back," Luke answered as he clapped his hands on his shoulder.

Part 83

"Xander put me down!" the irritated voice of Willow Rosenberg came through the door, causing Buffy, Sabrina and Phoebe to laugh.

They walked in, to find a sight they really weren't expecting. Xander was seated on the couch, reading a datapad. Willow was floating six feet in the air, her arms crossed and cross look on her face.

"Are we interrupting something?" Buffy asked dryly as Willow turned in their direction and blushed a deep red.

"Is Luke as frustrating as this?" Willow asked.

"No, actually he's quite laid back, what happened?" Buffy asked.

"Willow was working on a new computer system, lost her temper and started throwing things, mostly at my head. I got sick of catching stuff with the force, so I put her up there until she calmed down," Xander replied, not taking his head out of the book.

"It we take her out of here, will you bring her down?" Phoebe asked with amusement.

"Sure, what's going on?" Xander asked.

"Wiccan business, MYOB," Sabrina said firmly.

"Information Assimilated and Understood," Xander replied as Willow slowly drifted to the ground.

She gave him a dirty look before walking over to Phoebe. 

"Okay, lets head out. You gonna be alright out here?" Willow asked.

"I'm heading to Bajor this afternoon for a couple of days with Julian and Luke. We'll be speaking to the Medical Council and talking to groups of children," Xander answered.

"Someone you'll be able to deal with on an even mental level, take care hun, okay?" Willow asked.

She finally realised that Xander didn't need her to be his emotional anchor anymore. His time spent exploring the dark side of the force had anchored him in reality. In fact, he no longer had anything to prove, so he could relax.

She kissed him on the cheek and followed the girls out. Although Buffy wasn't Wiccan, her Slayer heritage had given her supernatural powers that gave her guest membership into DS9's own coven.

Other Wiccans had joined them. It appeared that they were being persecuted when they were located, obviously part of the Dominion conspiracy. They had proven their worth, and Willow was regarded highly amongst them, as the only one who melded witchcraft, technology and science into her beliefs so harmoniously. She was Technopagan, for whom the divine existed in cyberspace as well as in the real world.

They entered Cassandra's room, and moved over into their positions as Cassandra turned around and smiled at them.

Part 84 

"Do you feel it Xander?" Luke asked.

"A disturbance in the force, and immortal," Xander replied as Luke gave him a startled look.

"How do you perceive this?" Luke asked.

"Immortals sense each other by what to them is known as the buzz, it's like a ringing, buzzing feeling in their heads. Through conversation and testing with Sabrina, Duncan and Cassandra, I learned their 'buzz' was similar to the rippling in the force that accompanies a perceived threat. We've got an Immortal somewhere in the vicinity," Xander said seriously as he looked around the Bajoran marketplace.

"That's incredible, I almost wish that I had access to the force. Think of how much more I could learn," Julian said.

"Trust me Julian, you're better off without it. It just brings up a whole new set of problems. There he is, and he's fleeing the market place, followed by four shadowy figures. Julian, drop back, cover us," Xander said as removed his light sabre from his belt. He didn't know what trouble he'd find, but he did intend to be ready for it.

They moved swiftly until they reached a clearing in the woods, where the Immortal was duelling with two other men, both armed with swords. He was quite skilled but there simply wasn't enough of him. Luke looked to Xander and nodded, and the two bounded into the fight. 

The light sabre uses refractive light beam technology, and therefore can cut through pretty much any material known to man. The swords of the attackers were sliced like they were butter, as were the attackers.

"Are you alright?" Xander asked the Immortal.

"Just fine, I'll be leaving now," the Immortal said as he turned to walk away.

Xander stuck his ignited light sabre in front of the man's path.

"I don't think so, I may not take you head, but I might turn you into such a big mess that even your instant healing won't fix you up right away," Xander said.

"Am I a prisoner?" the Immortal answered.

"No, its just that we'd like to know about any Immortal wondering around, it saves our friends having to accept challenges," Xander explained as he extinguished his light sabre, realising that he had the Immortals' complete attention.

"Your friends?" the man asked.

"That would be telling, let's have a name from you, before we start revealing classified material," Xander said calmly, realising that Luke and Julian were allowing him to take point on this little fishing expedition.

Luke's ears cocked, and even Julian tensed up, as they both sensed the presence moving in a circular motion. A look to Julian indicated that their stalker was going to pick him as the likely target. A look at Luke, indicated he was on it.

A figure leapt out of the bushes, carrying a sword. Julian ducked and Luke used the force to pin the stalker to a tree. Xander wrapped a sheet of pure force around his captive and walked over to the captive, pulling away their face covering. She was a beautiful woman, pretty, exotic, sneaky and very much immortal.

"Better throw this one back in, she doesn't look over the weight limit," he commented as she got angry.

"What's your name milady?" he asked.

"Amanda," she answered, glaring at him.

"The immortal thief?" he asked as she gave him a shocked look.

"I have a friend who'd be glad to see you," Xander answered.

"What friend?" she asked apprehensively.

"Tall guy, noble sort, speaks with a Scottish brogue. Goes by the name of Duncan Macleod of the Clan Macleod," Xander said a smile on his face as he saw the eagerness on her face.

Duncan had often spoken of his former lover, sparring partner, etc, whom he hadn't seen in 500 years. Xander had had definite notions that Duncan loved her deeply, and missed her greatly. This would be a better present for him than Cassandra's arrival, a month before.

"Where is he?" Amanda asked.

"I'm asking the questions, who's your friend?" Xander asked as Amanda looked to her friend.

Xander could sense the edges of deception coming from the two. A look at Luke confirmed his reading of the rippling in the force.

"Adam Pierson," Amanda said, and Xander nodded, realising the reason for the deception.

"Duncan told me in strictest confidence about an immortal who uses the name Adam Pierson, he was a horseman wasn't he?" Xander said.

Amanda and Adam looked poleaxed, Luke and Julian looked confused. Xander wasn't saying anything. Duncan did tell him the real identity of the immortal known as Adam Pierson. He was Methos, the oldest living immortal, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, a man so old he could not remember his birth or parents. It was also privileged information.

"You must be a very good friend," Adam said.

"I do my best. What is it about immortals that they're drawn to Bajor?" Luke asked.

"It's an easy place to get lost for a couple of years. Cassandra said pretty much the same thing. I think you two didn't get out of the towns fast enough," Julian stated.

"Cassandra's here?" Adam asked.

"Deep Space 9. It's a kind of a mobile base for our operations against the Dominion," Xander explained.

"You're the Dominion Busters that the Federation is wetting itself over. You've gained a lot of sympathy and supporters in the Federation," Adam said as Xander finally released him from the force shield. 

"That is incredible, I couldn't move. What technology allows you to do that?" Adam asked as he stretched his arms and legs.

"No technology, manipulation of a type of mental energy known as the Force," Luke explained.

"Then you're all Jedi?" Adam asked.

"Luke and myself are Jedi. Please excuse my rudeness, allow me to introduce to you, Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master. Also Doctor Julian Bashir, CMO of DS9," Xander introduced.

"Skywalker, son of Anakin Skywalker?" Adam asked.

"Yes," Luke said shortly.

"I knew your father. He just had too much anger him, I heard that you turned him back to the light side before he died. And who are you?" Adam asked Xander.

"Lieutenant j.g Xander Harris, Medical Officer aboard DS9 and Jedi Knight," Xander replied.

"Maybe its time we put away these swords and embraced the technology of this time. Your light sabres cut through their swords like they were butter," Adam contemplated.

"Duncan keeps his Katana as a backup. I have been tutoring him in the art of the light sabre, and while he isn't able to access the force, he is definitely skilled in its operation," Luke explained.

"Before this degenerates into a boys and their toys argument, can we find somewhere to eat?" Amanda asked.

"What do we do with them?" Julian asked, indicating the bodies on the ground.

"They're outsiders, they will not be missed, and even if they are, no one will admit it," Xander answered as he cold bloodedly pillaged the bodies for anything to suggest their identities. 

Then he took an operative disruptor, turned it to its highest setting and triggered it over the bodies, effectively disintegrating it. While Julian and Luke regarded his actions with some shock, Amanda nodded approvingly.

Part 85

"The Society of Watchers has had a schism. They've been leaking information on the Immortals to the Federation and everyone else who'll listen. My Adam Pierson persona found out and those in the know decided to find me and kill me. I've spent the last year running. I only just ran into Amanda two months ago. She saved my life on Risa," Adam explained.

"And what were you doing on Risa?" Xander asked the vivacious Amanda, seeing why Duncan could miss such a woman so completely. 

"The usual, gambling, partying on, swindling holiday makers out of their hard earned holiday funds. When I ran into Adam, I decided to tag along. Needless to say, its been fairly interesting. Klingons, Cardassians, Romulans, Tellarites, and even a couple of Ferengi. Disgusting creatures," Amanda replied.

"I've never had much liking for them," Julian admitted.

"Oh, I don't know. They've got a wicked sense of humour. I remember while I was doing my deep space training on Starbase 7, there was this Ferengi that owned this bar, and one night me and some of the barmaids got involved in a game of strip Togo…I'll be shutting up right now," Xander said as he blushed slightly.

"How much are you willing to ensure that little piece of information doesn't get back to Willow?" Julian asked mischievously.

"I'd like to get in on this action," Luke admitted.

"You guys don't act like Jedi, I like it. So what's going to happen now?" Adam asked.

"We take you to DS9, and from there you're on your own. You can join the cause or whatever." Xander said with a look of confirmation to Luke and Julian.

"Xander, we've got two rough looking types, coming from the back of the inn, how do you wanna play it?" Julian asked.

Xander directed the Force at the two characters indicated.

"Luke, work your way around them, do the mind whammy thing, Amanda you go with him," Xander said.

"The 'mind whammy thing', Xander, one of these days we're going to sit down and discuss proper terminology for certain aspects of your Jedi powers," Luke said firmly as turned around to walk away.

"Mind whammy thing? You just did that to annoy him, didn't you Xander?" Julian asked.

"Ya think?" Xander replied as he got up and walked straight at the two dirty looking characters.

He placed a hand on each of their shoulders and dragged them up to the bar.

"If you look to your left you'll see a guy in black attire and a woman in brown. To your right is another guy in black, as well as the guy you were following. That makes the odds five to one, unhealthy odds to say the least. Do we have a problem?" Xander asked.

The two men looked around, both gulping.

"We don't want any trouble, we're Watchers," one man said, pulling up his sleeve to reveal the Y shaped tatoo of the Watchers.

"Hardly a glowing recommendation, considering that Watchers are trying to kill Adam Pierson," Xander replied.

"We're here to protect him," the spokesman of the duo explained.

"You are so late. He got attacked an hour ago, we were there to stop the attack," Xander said.

"Then we have much to thank you for. Adam, or rather his ancestor, has a connection with the Immortal, Duncan Macleod, and that's what we were hoping to use," The Watcher said.

"We're going back to the table, if you two try so much as breathing out of turn, and I'm going to kick your ass from here to the capital city and back again," Xander warned.

"We'll be good, you've already demonstrated that you're a far more alert individual than we could ever be," The Watcher said. 

Xander was none too gentle shoving them towards the table, signalling for Adam and Luke to join him, and Julian and Amanda to hang back and watch for any traps.

"You heard?" Xander asked Adam.

"Yeh, I don't recognise these two, but as a researcher working on the Methos project, I don't see many field operatives," Adam answered as Xander used the Force to quell the laughter threatening to break free of his mouth.

Adam had thought of the perfect place to hide. He was in the organisation that sought him out, working to seek the mysterious immortal known as Methos.

"There is a threat to Immortals all around the cosmos. The shape shifters have influenced certain higher up executives in the Society. The shape shifters have learned of the identities of some immortals, but those of us who hold the lives of Immortals sacred, managed to shut down and delete our database. We've lost 200 years of work, but it's stopped the Dominion finding out about a large majority of the Immortals around the galaxy. We've been warning a great number of them. We haven't been able to find Duncan Macleod for a long while, and when those who were looking for the Immortals tried to find Adam, to extract his Methos research out of him, we decided that he'd go looking for Duncan Macleod, the friend of his ancestor. We decided to follow him and protect him along the way, so we could find Duncan Macleod," the Watcher explained.

"And why do you wish to find Duncan Macleod?" Xander asked, tapping into the dark side of the Force, a skill he had learned under Cassandra.

It intimidated the Watcher, causing him to go pale and start perspiring.

"Are they telling the truth?" Xander asked Luke, who nodded.

Amanda watched the dialogue between the two Jedi, with a great deal of effort.

"Fine, Julian, you'll have to continue on without us for the moment. Once I've dropped Adam, Amanda and the two Watchers off at DS9, I'll come back," Xander said.

"Got it," Julian replied.

Part 86

"We've sent out an all points message. Any immortals that wish protection are making their way to DS9. We've got quite a contingent of Federation officials and Starfleet officers and crewman in that," Jean Luc said as he sat in the lounge, speaking to the group.

Ever since Adam Pierson and a couple of Watchers had arrived, courtesy of Luke, Xander and Julian, they had gotten a clearer picture of what was happening. The first order had been to get the word out that Immortals were safe on DS9, and on one of ships surrounding it. So far, numerous Immortals had made their way here, spurred on by the fact that Duncan Macleod, a very well known immortal was there.

"We had to be fairly creative when it comes to dealing with unruly headhunters, who want to remain safe from the Dominion, but still want to continue the Game," Duncan said.

"What did you?" Acting Captain Will Riker asked.

"Actually, it was Xander. That boy's got a fairly malicious streak running through him. Matthew Kincaid is an unsavoury character, has this thing about killing young immortals for cheap Quickenings. In the middle of all the immortals, he impaled Matthew, waited until he was alive and chopped his sword into several pieces with his lightsabre. Then Xander put him in the middle of a Force bubble and sent him out an airlock. Needless to say, Matthew was quite willing to forget about the Game, and so was everyone else." Duncan answered.

"Hardly the way I expect a Starfleet Officer to be acting," Jean-Luc Picard commented.

"You have to be fairly graphic with most immortals if you want them to follow your step. Xander's methods are unorthodox, but they work." Connor explained.

"I just don't like the idea that Xander's moving past and around channels. Soon he'll figure that he's not in the chain of command," Ben Sisko explained.

"Don't worry, Willow can keep him towing the line." Zelda Spellman stated.

"Are you sure?" Jean-Luc asked.

"Love is the most powerful force in the galaxy and Xander is head over heels in love with that girl," Zelda answered.

"Allay your fears, Jean-Luc. Xander does get a little crazy sometimes, but there is a line even he won't cross. For a long time, Buffy and Willow were the only two people who trusted him, later I grudgingly added my name to that list. Xander likes the feeling of being trusted, and intends to keep all those who feel that way about him, alive and close to him. They are a special group of young adults, but they've already displayed their worth to the group dynamic." Giles stated as everyone nodded in approval.

They were creative thinkers, uniquely suited to the type of mission the Dominion Busters were undertaking. They had their quirks, and in between Willow's hacking skills, Xander's mischievous streak and Buffy's temper, they all managed to get into a lot of trouble, but on the flip side, all had helped the group, more than anyone could calculate.

Part 87

"Something you want to tell us about?" Commander William T. Riker asked as he walked into the clearing to see Lord Kal-El, or Clark, as he was known to his friends, and Xander lifting large metal containers off the ground.

Quark had located a large stash of high grade weapons, to bulk up their already high class armoury. The Ferengi publican and deal maker had organised for a trade on Bajor with some former Maquis members, turned gunrunners. Once the trade was made, Will, as commander of the mission, had despatched the group to load the weaponry into the various shuttles supplied.

Now he had Lord Kal-El, using his extra human strength, competing with Xander, who was using the telekinetic properties of the force to move the boxes, as the rest of the group cheered them on, making bets.

"Grab a seat Will," Counsellor Troi said as she moved on the log she was sitting on.

"Should I dare ask?" he commented ironically as he sat down beside her, his body unconsciously aware and thoroughly enjoying their closeness.

"We're at a stalemate at the moment and the troops are getting a little tense. Anything to relieve the tension," Deanna answered as she leant against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

There was a definite nice feeling to this, and the tension in his bones seemed to uncurl at her presence.

"Han Solo to Commander Riker," a voice barked through the communicator.

"Speak to me Han." Will said, tapping his communicator and throwing formality to the wind.

"We got attacked by a group of twelve fighter craft that came out of warp, followed by a variety of vessels, including a warship that makes anything we got look like runabout. We managed to calm things down and Picard and Macleod are in negotiation at the moment. Summers blew three of their fighter craft out of the sky, and they crash landed within 200 klicks to you. They wanted to send out their own rescue craft, but Picard didn't want anyone landing. He suggested a Starfleet style welcome," Han said.

"We'll pick them up and bring them back to DS9," Will answered.

"You might have some injuries, Wedge wasn't sure what Buffy was on, she shot those ships up that badly, but he's betting on caf strong enough to eat through tritanium," Han answered as both Will heard the barking laugh of Chewbacca in the background and shared a grin between them.

"Let me guess, someone tried to do some damage to her Gavin?" Xander asked with some amusement.

"Oh great, Doctor Xander's there. That mean you've got the corps man and sarcasm covered for this rescue mission," Han said with a dry tone that caused the three senior officers to laugh.

"Deanna, Xander, you're with me. Clark?" Will asked, unsure of how to deal with the Kryptonian monarch.

"I spend a better part of the last 32 years on a Kansas farm, I think I can manage a little manual labour, Will," Clark stated with an easy smile that sat well on his almost too perfect features.

Part 88

"My name is Commander William T Riker of the Dominion Busters. At current, the leaders of both our forces are negotiating peaceful intentions. We have been directed to assist your wounded and escort you to the command centre of our fleet, where your leaders will be" a voice boomed out of the forest.

"What do you reckon Starbuck?" Captain Apollo asked his friend and subordinate.

"They're human, that's gotta be a bonus. Boomer's hurt pretty bad, he's need attention. Their ships maybe small but those fighters with the funny wings took us apart, especially that pink one. Pink must be a sign for an ace, because she ripped into me," Lieutenant Starbuck answered.

"Ditto, okay, lets do it," Apollo said as he stood up and called out, "Are we to come out and drop our weapons?" 

"That won't be necessary, just holster your weapons, we're moving towards your position," the man's voice answered.

A short while later, two men and women, all attired in jet black uniforms with pockets all over them, moved near them. Starbuck's eyes immediately widened, seeing the petite, shapely and exotic woman. The younger man with the dark hair, desperately in need of a brush, immediately dropped to his knee beside Boomer and removed an electronic item from a pocket and started running it over Boomer's body.

"Commander Riker, I gather. I am Captain Apollo. In our force, a commander is considered to be higher ranking than a captain, I'm gathering that is different in your force," Apollo said as the two men shook hands in a gesture that obviously transversed time and space.

"Correct, but there are other forces under the umbrella of the Dominion Busters who use that manner of military hierachy. May I present Lieutenant Commander Deanna Troi, ship's counsellor of the U.S.S Enterprise, and Lieutenant J.g Xander Harris, Medical Officer," Will said as Xander waved without looking up from his impromptu triage.

"My 2Ic, Lieutenant Starbuck, and the injured officer is Lieutenant Boomer," Apollo answered.

"How is he Xander?" Will Riker asked.

"He was in pretty bad shape, but using my natural flair for healing, and my innate genius, I have stabilised him for transport." Xander answered as Will grit his teeth.

Noticing that Troi, Apollo and Starbuck were hiding grins, didn't improve his humour any much more.

"Where are your vessels. We'll organise transport up to Deep Space 9. Wouldn't want to leave them to the scavengers," Will said.

It was at that point, where the runabout Ganges calmly landed near them. Will saw that Apollo and Starbuck were regarding their runabout with something akin to envy. Data got out and walked over.

"Commander, Captain Picard has sent me to pick up you and your companions," Data said.

"You're not human are you?" Starbuck stated.

"I am an android, a mechanical construct," Data said.

Will didn't have time to breathe before both Apollo and Starbuck had drawn their pistols from quick draw holsters, much like the ancient west, and pointed them at Data.

"Put those weapons down!" he barked.

"Its understandable for most people to be uncomfortable around androids," Data stated.

Starbuck looked at Data for a long while and then holstered his weapon. 

"We've spent six years running from a group of robots, call Cylons. They have wanted to exterminate us for a long time. We are unaccustomed to robots made in the image of humans," he explained.

"These are the most kindest and compassionate people you could ever hope to be around. They truly care about life and freedom, going so far as to be willing to die for their actions. I do not wish to harm you. I merely ask acceptance, with the hope of friendship in the future," Data said.

Starbuck, although tense, stuck out his hand. Starbuck took it and shook vigorously.

"Okay, Android man, where can I find somewhere to bet a lot of money?" Starbuck said with a grin.

"That would be Quark's place, although most of the time they're rigged," Data said. 

"Then lead the way, and when we're in orbit, maybe you can show me how to fly this thing," Starbuck answered as he threw an arm around Data's shoulder and manoeuvred him back into the runabout.

"Your android seems to have made a friend," Apollo commented.

"Data makes many friends, there are times he seems more human than most humans." Will answered.

"Gentlemen, when you've finished shooting the breeze, I could use a hand with this anti-grav stretcher," Xander said firmly.

"Use your Jedi skills Xander," Will stated as Xander glared at him.

Will realised that he might have made a faux pas, revealing a hidden skill to a possible opponent.

"We might as well put it out in the open Xander, full disclosure to confirm we haven't got a hidden agenda," Will said as Xander grumbled.

When the anti-grav sled floated to a point near his shoulder, Apollo was shocked by not scared.

"Telekinesis?" he asked.

"Certain members of our force have mental powers. The counsellor is empathic and Xander here is a Jedi, meaning he has a wide range of mental powers," Will explained carefully.

"We have found a small percentage of the people who have been under our guidance, have similar powers," Apollo answered as Boomer's sled moved into the Runabout. Starbuck and Data were already up front, doing the pre-launch checks and talking. From what Will Riker gathered, Starbuck was very much, the rogue, and while Data could be an innocent on occasion, he also had a keen intuition that was more the sum of his programming.

Will joined Xander beside the anti grav sled and asked softly, "How is he really Doc?"

"It was touch and go for a second, but using the force, I managed to alter his respiration until I can operate on him," Xander explained.

"These people might prefer to let their own people do the surgery," Will commented.

"I'd much prefer a joint operation. Their physiology is remarkably similar, but there are certain differences. If I was to make a guess, I'd have to say that we share an anthropological ancestor," Xander said.

Will turned to see Deanna was talking to Apollo, and the two seemed to be getting along well. A pang of jealousy swept through hum, unexpectedly.

"Don't worry about Deanna commander, she loves you. Besides, Apollo has a wife and child," Xander said.

"Are you reading their minds?" Will asked.

"No, Apollo was carrying a photo when he came out of the bushes. Of him, a beautiful brunnette and a boy, about seven, I deduced the rest," Xander explained.

Part 89 

"The fighter craft are more manoeuvrable than even the Defiant or the Millenium Falcon. They do not have the firepower of the other vessels, but with a great deal of tweaking, we've managed to make the weaponry they've got, count. In our first encounter with the Colonial Warriors, we found out quite soon that while the Colonial Vipers have the edge in speed, the X wings have the greater weapons complement. This was proved by Lieutenant Summer's ability to hit three different Colonial Vipers," Commander Wedge Antilles stated to the gathered group.

As an expert in fighter craft operations and tactics, he had been chosen as the CAG (chief of air group, a term that Xander had dredged up from one of his numerous 20th century television chips) the leader of all the fighter craft operating from the various vessels.

There was no doubt that the X wing pilots and their Starfleet allies, were better pilots than the Colonial Warriors. But it was understandable, since they hadn't had the time to learn new manoeuvres and tactics, so busy they were, protecting the Battlestar Galactica and the variety of colony ships that it had bought with it. 

At the moment, the Dominion Busters were reallocating the populations of these vessels to Bajor, enabling their vessels to get a well needed overhaul, thanks to the maintenance and construction station that had been set in orbit of the moon of Bajor.

Wedge was impressed by what this group could achieve in such a short time, despite their obvious differences. Already, the Air Group, as the fleet of fighter craft was known, had started taking over Dominion missions from the medium sized space craft, and were making names for themselves.

The Colonial Vipers pilots eyed the incredibly cute and sweet looking Buffy summers in her pink flight suit (despite the change over to the Dominion Busters basic black, Buffy had refused to move over, claiming black made her look sallow. Instead she wore black flashes across the shoulder and the emblem across her back) with a great deal of suspicion. 

There was no doubt that the Starfleet complement bought a high level of training to the Air Group, but Buffy had proven numerous times over how in tune with her craft she was. Chief O'Brien and Geordi La Forge had put the completely pink X wing with the black trim, together with loving care, suited to her measurements alone. It was the first time anyone had ever customised an X-wing before and considering the success of this labour intensive task, the other's had insisted on similar treatment. 

The fact that all were white with black trim, while hers was pink with black trim, did not escape the Dominion's notice, and there were times she acted as bait, drawing the Dominion craft into all manner of ambushes. She was good, having youth and dexterity combined with a world weary experience. Even the Colonial Warriors were beginning to respect her.

"The Dominion seems to find it difficult to plot our attack patterns, mostly because we have no such patterns. Our best bet of staying alive and viably useful to command is to continue like this. Plus we have gained numerous skilled pilots amongst those who have come to DS9 seeking freedom from persecution," Wedge said, not saying it, but everyone knew what he meant, Witches and Immortals.

In truth, some of the immortals had been around long enough to give a cogent history of flight on Earth, right back to the Wright brothers and even the Montgolfier brothers. The Witches were multi skilled, and despite early discomfort, the pilots of the Air Group had bought them into the fold. Wedge knew this was mostly due to Buffy's influence. As one of the earliest Air Group members, she was now one of the guys, and her acceptance of the witches, smoothed the way for the others.

"Last but not least, scuttlebutt has it that Lieutenant Harris and Rosenberg have completed the holosuite program they collaborated on. I know many of you have waited for this, but using privilege of rank, I intend to be first to use it," Wedge said with a grin as all the pilots groaned.

Xander Harris, erstwhile doctor, Jedi knight and troublemaker had made a name for himself as holo program programmer, and his programmers were the most popular ones on the station. As the systems cyberwitch of DS9, Willow had gained a reputation of making a computer sit up and beg if she wanted it to. His imagination and her skills combined ensured that the new program should be incredible.

"Care to make a wager on that, Wedge?" Buffy said as Wedge looked at her and groaned.

"No fair," he sulked.

"You use privilege of rank, I use friendship. Gotta tell ya, its Xander's best work yet, and Will's graphic are incredible. The scoring system and degrees of difficulty are more of a challenge, but after Slay City 2000, you have to expect a change," Buffy explained.

"Care to give us any clues?" Captain Corran Horn asked curiously.

"Nah, that would suck all the fun out of it," Buffy answered with a grin.

Part 90

Xander Harris awoke screaming from a nightmare that was too real to be just a product of his own imagination. He turned to his left, hoping to see Willow at his side, and clearly disappointed that she wasn't. The dream had unsettled him, and he needed the brand of comfort only she could give.

"Calm yourself young Jedi," a voice said, causing him to look forward and instantly panicking.

The man who stood before him, or rather the ghost who stood before him, because Xander could see right through him. Xander took in several calming breaths as the man nodded approvingly. It gave Xander a chance to observe his uninvited guest.

He was a tall man, with a short, neatly trimmed beard. He had long brown greying hair. His face was noble and serene, but his eyes were steely and determined. Xander recognised the outfit he wore. It was the attire of Jedi of the old republic. It was flowing regal attire for a slower, more gentile time. As the leader of the new Jedi, Luke's influence had caused the new Jedi to wear basic black attire, which was severe and aesthetically intimidating.

Luke had mentioned that his former teachers, Obi Wan Kenobi and Yoda had visited him as spirits. His only teacher was very much alive. Who was this guy?

"You have questions, young Jedi. Before I answer them, allow me to introduce myself. I am Qui Gonn Jinn and I am a Jedi Master," the apparition stated.

"You're a bloody ghost, that's what you are mate," Xander blurted out, causing the spirit to smile, a calm, enigmatic smile.

"By now you should have learned that the Force encompasses all things, including the spirit world." Qui Gonn Jinn stated.

"Okay, take a seat, can I offer you a drink?" Xander asked, realising the absurdity of his inquiry as he walked over to the bathroom and washed his face.

When he came back, carrying a mug of Raktajino from the replicator, Qui Gonn Jinn was seated on the couch that was under the window that looked out on Bajor. Xander loved this view and always tried to contemplate it for a few minutes every day.

"A truly spiritual planet. A perfect location for a Jedi Academy," Qui Gonn Jinn commented.

"Is that what you're here for, to convince me to start up a training centre for Jedi on Bajor? Love to be able to help you, but I haven't got the time," Xander answered, knowing he was being rude, but being unable to help himself. When he was freaked out, his mouth disconnected from his brain and took over.

"No, although you have been through many hardships in your young life, you are still too young to call yourself master. More of a Knight I believe. But it might be something to think about young Jedi in your future. You will not always be fighting for freedom. At some point in time the fighting will stop," the Jedi Master commented.

"Any idea when that would be. It'd be nice if I had a schedule to work from," Xander said as he sipped his Raktajino.

"I am unable to give you something that you would only change. No Xander Harris, your greatest skill lies in your flexibility and ability to think creatively. Use that and you will always win your battles," Qui Gonn Jinn stated firmly.

"Then why are you here?" Xander asked.

"You have been talk by Luke Skywalker, son of Anakin Skywalker, who was known to the Galaxy as Darth Vader. Duncan Macleod of the Clan Macleod has also been responsible for your teaching, as has Cassandra the Immortal Witch. The Galaxy demands that another be responsible for your teaching. I have been chosen. I was once Obi Wan Kenobi's teacher, he who taught Darth Vader, and first taught Luke Skywalker," Qui Gonn Jinn stated.

"How do I know I can trust you. How can I be sure that you won't be another Exar Kun, trying to seduce me over to the dark side?" Xander asked, remembering the stories that Luke had told him about the early days of the founding of the Jedi Academy.

"An acceptable question. You are very powerful in the Force. Use that skill to find out," Qui Gonn Jinn said as Xander woke up a little more. 

No Jedi would allow himself to be Force-scanned, without a really good reason. It created a link between scanner and scannee, much like a Vulcan mindmeld. Xander did so, and found a man capable of love and understanding and trust. A man seen as reckless by his peers, but always knowing what he was doing and where it was leading. Xander felt a bond with this man, and choked back tears, and a certain, immature part of him, wished this man had been his father instead of his own father.

"The Force works in mysterious ways young Jedi. Open yourself up to that which you never considered before. Instead of just using it, let it flow through you." Qui Gonn Jinn said calmly as Xander did as he asked.

Xander saw a barrier, and pushed against it. It repelled him. He tried to put all his force against it, but he was bounced backwards. Finally, walked up to it, and instead of trying to push through it, forcing an entrance, he just calmly stepped through it. When he opened his eyes, he saw he was in the corridor, realising that he had not only passed through a mental barrier but a physical one as well.

"Walk with me," Qui Gonn Jinn stated as he walked through the wall.

Xander shrugged, and as casually as he could believe, the two Jedi, one material, one spiritual, walked through walls on a tour through DS9.

Part 91

"More Dominion and Cardassian craft coming out of the wormhole, in fleets. They are joining with the Alpha Quadrant Fleets. Prepare to engage. Air Group, distract leading Dominion forces until the 6th Fleet engages," Jean Luc Picard stated from the bridge of the Dominion Busters flagship, USS Enterprise.

The crew of the bridge had been increased by 100%, and they were at tactical, weapons and ops positions. Several computer terminals, newly installed, showed the tactical positioning of all the forces, both Dominion and Dominion Busters.

"Acknowledged Captain. Light the fires, and keep the tires burning children," Commander Riker's voice could be heard from the cockpit of his X-Wing.

Jean Luc wished his first officer was by his side this day, but it was acknowledged that he could do better in an X-Wing, co-ordinating the small craft strategy.

"Light the fires and keep the tyres burning?" Jean Luc asked his ship's counsellor, who was currently looking at the screen with a tense look on her face.

"A lot of the pilots haven't had combat experience, and Wedge didn't have any simulations they could use, so Xander developed a program based on 20th century fighter pilot 'dogfights'. Unfortunately, a lot of the dialogue and idioms were transferred over as well, and the fighter pilots, even the Colonial Warriors, have gotten really into it," Deanna answered sourly.

"I feel the need, the need for speed," Lieutenant Starbuck's recognisable voice came over communications.

"See what I mean," Troi commented sourly.

"Where's the 4th Fleet?" Picard asked, ignoring it.

"It's in the Event Horizon of the Wormhole. As yet no Dominion activity in that area. Speculate that they're hidden," Lieutenant Commander Data said from his seat at Ops.

"Air Group has engaged the Dominion. Seven Dominion vessels have been destroy, and another ten show significant levels of damage. One X Wing and One Colonial Viper have been destroyed. Flight Officer Antari and Flight Officer Dante," Worf stated from tactical.

"Dante's Immortal, have someone check the debris!" Ambassador Macleod stated from the Science terminal.

"Already on it, The Gange and Yangtse are checking for survivors." Data stated.

"My word, the fighters are making a meal of it. Who's doing the suicide run?" Jean Luc asked, as the tactical display indicated an X Wing and a Colonial Viper ramming into the Dominion Fleet.

"That's no suicide run. That's Starbuck and Buffy," Worf stated.

"Sorry, my mistake, Lunatic run," Jean Luc replied dryly, voicing the common belief that these were the most insane fighter pilots out there.

"Captain Picard, this is General Martok. Your little toy ships have had their fun. Its time to let us fight," a gruff voice said over communications.

Using a Rebel standard tactic, these used vocal communications instead of visual com traffic, cutting down the distraction factor. 

"Sounds like our Klingon friends are getting impatient. General Martok, suggest attack vector 75864. Engage cloaks and give Air Group a chance to bug out," Jean Luc said as Deanna gave him an outraged look.

He shrugged and said, "Sorry, it is kind of insidious."

"Acknowledged, suggest the 3rd Fleet go perpendicular," General Martok answered as Jean Luc looked at Worf who shook his head, and held up two fingers.

"Negative, 3rd fleet has its task, but the idea has merits. Sending in the 2nd fleet." Jean Luc answered with a serious nod.

"DS9 to Enterprise. The remaining civilian transports have left us for Bajor, under armed escort. We've got several Cardassian vessels breaking through our shields and beaming aboard." Captain Sisko's voice stated urgently.

"Do you wish assistance?" Jean Luc asked.

"Negative, just reporting in. We've got witches and immortals on every deck and Jedi on the promenade. We can fight them from bulkhead to bulkhead if need be," Ben replied with a determined tone of voice.

"Sounds like a fun party, I wish I could be there," Jean Luc answered.

"We'll save you plate of nibblies and a glass of wine, Sisko out," the voice said.

"Can they hold on?" Deanna asked.

"I think so," Jean Luc answered.

Jean Luc turned back to see that the greatest space battle in the Alpha Quadrant had started in earnest.

Part 92

"Starbuck, quit hot dogging," Apollo barked over his communicator as his subordinate and friend flew up to his right wing.

"Sorry Captain, that was my fault. I thought if we buzzed the Cardassian bridges we might cause them to freak out," Buffy Summers' voice came over the comm channel.

"You should have seen her, did a chicken run until she was nearly in their laps, went vertical and dropped a load of plasma and ignited it. Score one Cardassian Cruiser to the Buffmeister," Starbuck stated enthusiastically.

"Okay, how's the rest going?" Apollo asked.

Air Group had been divided between himself and Wedge Antilles, since X wings and Colonial Vipers were the only types of small fighter craft they had, it made sense that both were in charge of their specialty craft. Nonetheless, Wedge was far more experienced than he was, with a tactical mind he envied. 

"Harm took a group of X Wings and Vipers on a joyride, caught a couple of Dominion Cruisers dozing and blew the reactors off them. Commander Riker, Harm and Jolly are playing hide and seek with several Cardies in a Spatial storm and The Immortals are savaging anything that moves away from the pack," Starbuck stated.

"And I've got a little idea involving phaser directed quantum torps. Feel like joining me Starbuck?" Buffy asked.

"Sweetheart, I'd join you anywhere, I'm intrigued. See ya Apollo," Starbuck said as Apollo watched the X-Wing and Viper moved off to his right.

Apollo shook his head and checked the damage reports.

Part 93 

"For such large vessels, the Romulans are quite maneouverable, lord Kal-El," Duke Loh-Mar stated from the bridge of the New Krypton, the 3rd Fleet's command vessel.

Kal-El was glad for Loh-Mar's cold professionalism, because he was freaking out. What was he doing, leading men and women into battle, he was a reporter?

"Suggestions?" Kal-El asked.

"Yes sir, stop second guessing yourself. You're no warrior, but you've got keen analytical skills. Use them," Loh-Mar answered as Kal-El gave him an incredulous look and shook his head.

"Okay, I get the idea. Loh, I'm guessing the middle vessel is a command vessel much like ours?" Kal-El stated.

"Correct, My Lord," Loh-Mar answered approvingly.

"Set ramming speed for the command vessel and send a message to the rest of the Fleet. 'Seek Targets of Opportunity and Give Chase,' " Kal-El stated as his second in command gave him a startled look.

"That's a fairly bold strategy, My Lord," he commented.

"We're not going to win this by playing it safe. Jean Luc once told me that Romulans prefer to pounce on their prey, well I'm giving them that opportunity. Besides, we knock down their command vessel and they find themselves without leadership. That's the sort of confusion I prefer." Kal-El stated as Loh-Mar grinned.

"Lord Kal-El, the rest of the fleet has acknowledged and are breaking away from the fleet." A comm officer stated.

"Okay, go to full impulse. I'm in a hurry to get back to my woman," Kal-El stated, thinking of Lois who was currently on DS9 that was being attacked by a combination of Dominion and Cardassian forces.

The Kryptonian's grinned as the helm officer did as he was ordered.

Part 94

"We've got the main force pinned on the promenade, Duncan's dealing with an insertion force in the docking ring." Xena's voice could be heard over the comm system.

"Casualties?" Ben Sisko asked from Ops, wishing he could be out there, but knowing that holding Ops was the most important job. 

Besides, he had crowds of skilled Guerilla fighters on board, who had spent the last month turning 

DS9 into a Dominion death trap, with traps and ambushes, which excelled in both genius and lethal intent.

"Mostly immortal, but they just get back up again," Xena drawled, causing several people in 0ps to crack up laughing.

Ben glared at them, playfully. Cool heads were needed to contain this threat, and jokes helped relieve the tension.

"Captain Sisko, emergency transmission!" a voice said over the comm link.

"Sisko," Ben stated.

"We've beamed onto one of the Dominion vessels. We're currently heading towards the bridge. Once we take control, we'll see if we can get some of these boys off your back," Luke Skywalker stated.

"Their controls are different to ours, as are their sensors. Can you manage?" Ben asked.

"We can do it. Have you heard from Xander?" Luke asked.

"I thought he was with you," Ben said.

"Runabout Nile is outbound from DS9, heading towards Bajor," Major Kira stated.

"Lieutenant Harris, report," Ben stated.

"A Cardassian cruiser attacked our civilian transports. No deaths, but plenty of injuries. I am leading a group comprised of immortals, witches and Kryptonians down to the planet to care and protect. They're spares who were wasting their time as tactical reserves. Something else you might want to think about. Cardassian forces might take this opportunity to regain a foothold on Bajor. Might be impossible to dig em out," Xander stated as Ben looked at Major Kira.

Neither had thought of that possibility.

"We can't spare anybody at this moment, but we'll send word to Shakaar," Ben said.

"Get him to rendezvous at the transports. We'll co-ordinate our efforts from there. Have a good battle Captain," Xander said in his regular cocky manner.

"You two Xander, and if you're gonna get into trouble, try not to get yourself killed," Ben answered as the comm channel was severed.

"Are there any spares around, we could use some backup in Cargo bay seven," a voice yelled over the comm channel. 

Ben and Kira immediately bent over the graphic representation, deciding what forces would be able to get free.

Part 95

"Minister Shakaar, I wish it was under better circumstances," Xander said as he shook hands with the tall, proud, former resistance leader.

"Captain Sisko has notified me that they are unable to spare anyone else. Are things really that bad?" Shakaar asked.

"Not bad, busy. Our side is having a lot of victories, but they're up against a numerically superior force, so its going to take some time to whittle the numbers down. Right now we have to worry about the defence of Bajor. I need to see your troop numbers, mid to long range weapons inventory, anti aircraft weaponry etc," Xander said.

"I thought you were a doctor?" Shakaar asked.

"I'm multi-skilled," Xander answered dryly.

"What do you have in mind?" Shakaar asked curiously.

"Tactics that should be familiar to you Minister, guerilla commando tactics. Hit hard and fast and get out before you're detected," Xander said as he saw Shakaar and several of his advisors smile evilly.

"I've notified the cities to evacuate into the hills etc. We can put all manner of forces in the cities, that's always the first place an invading force attacks, for some reason," Shakaar stated.

"My people are good, and they've got extra skills. I'm going to make some crazy suggestions to you until this is finished. Might I suggest that you suspend disbelief, don't ask questions and take everything at face value," Xander said.

"Don't worry Lieutenant Harris, I've heard all about you. You can be assured that I understand the tangents you go off on," Shakaar answered.

"Okay, lets get to work," Xander replied.

Part 96

"Captain Picard, the remaining Dominion craft are moving towards the wormhole," Worf stated.

"Have we got anyone that can stop them going through the wormhole?" Picard asked.

"Way ahead of you Picard. Millenium Falcon and Defiant moving in to engage and wipe out," Han Solo's voice came over the comm system.

"Can we?" Jean Luc asked.

"Their fueled up, and barely damaged. They spent most of the battle playing cat and dog with a bunch of Cardassian cruisers around DS9, letting enough through for the station forces to wipe out," Worf answered.

"Worf, you have been spending too much time around Xander," Deanna stated.

"It is insidious," Worf admitted.

"We're receiving damage and casualty reports from all over our forces. On the whole, its looking like we lost one vessel for every twenty we destroyed and captured," Data commented.

"I'd say we have a victory on our hands, a fairly substantial one," Picard said.

"Sir, we're receiving comm traffic from Bajor. A squadron of Cardassian vessels, and the soldiers on board are fighting with the locals in the streets," the helms person said.

"Can we send down reinforcements?" Picard asked.

"Negative, the Cardassians have dispersed EMP mines in the atmosphere. If we send down ships or even try to beam through, we'll get fried," Data stated.

"Lieutenant Commander Data, we've been listening in, and we've experienced a similar situation in the past. With your permission I'll take a combined force of X-Wings and Vipers into the atmosphere and clean them out for you," Captain Apollo stated over his communicator.

"Negative, I repeat, do not approach those mines or attempt to disable or destroy. I've studied the sensor data on these mines. We're going to need to do some major refitting on the snub fighters before we let them loose around EMP mines," Chief Engineer Georgi la Forge stated.

"I concur with Lieutenant Commander La Forge's assessment, Captain Picard. I've studied this type of weapons before and they're nothing to be laughed at. One phaser blast in the wrong place and you could lose a whole squadron. I have some ideas on how we can modify the X-wings and Vipers, but I will need to talk to Commander La Forge about it," Lieutenant Meg Austin stated seriously over the comm system.

"This is a communication to the whole Dominion Busters Attack Group. It looks like Xander and his merry band of lunatics will be on their own for the moment. I want hour progress reports, I want constant surveillance of the Bajoran/Cardassian border, I want every weapons specialist we have, working in concert with Lieutenant Commander La Forge and Lieutenant Austin. Air Group has priority in repairs, leading up to refit. We have to ensure the Cardassians cannot entrench their numbers on the planet." Jean Luc Picard stated.

Despite the fact that they were hundreds of kilometres away, on occasion, Deanna could almost feel everyone snapping to attention and moving into action.

Part 97

"Xander, next time you volunteer us for a mission, I'm going to punch your lights out," Sabrina Spellman said as the group that the Bajorans had come to know as 'Xander's Team', stood in the shallow cavern, cold and wet.

The rest of the group nodded and grumbled. Despite the fact that Xander was hundreds of years younger than many of the group, he was the only military personage of the group, plus because of his work in improving the standard of Bajoran medicine, the Bajor people better knew him, so they deferred to him. 

Right now they were cold and hungry and uncomfortable.

"Come on people, its not just a job, its an adventure. We've got a Cardassian camp at the bottom of the hill, that controls the EMP mines above us. We knock down the camp, they'll lose control of the mines and the rest can mop up." Xander answered.

He looked equally uncomfortable, but an unnerving calmness had set over him. They had slogged all day through the worst of the Bajoran winter, and it made them feel slightly better that Xander was pushing himself as hard or harder than them. 

"It'd be easier if we had some food in our stomachs and dry clothes," Regan Cole stated.

"Already covered. The Bajorans are moving clothes and food through the mountain passes, they should be here in twenty minutes," Xander answered.

"Have you taken up mind reading?" Reik-Ar of the Kryptonian contingent stated.

"No, while we were walking today, Shakaar sent me a message that he'd be bringing supplies for us. As guerilla fighters, these guys have it all over us." Xander said.

"This cave has plenty of dry wood. Why don't we light some fires?" Piper Halliwell suggested, causing the more experienced soldiers of the group to glare at her. 

She quickly sank behind Reik-Ar's back. He glared at all the others, going into protective mode.

"Okay people, calm down. She's a witch, not a soldier. Piper, if we light fires, we'll give away our position," Xander said.

"That's all fine and good for those immortals, and those who can use the Force to stop the chill. But what about the rest of us who will most likely die of exposure by tomorrow morning," Piper asked.

"Xander, what about…?" Reik-Ar asked.

"The heat vision, I never thought of that. How's your control? We want to dry them off and warm them, not cause them to burst into flames." Xander inquired.

"I can do this," Reik-Ar stated.

"Fine, do it on me first, just in case," Xander said as Reik-Ar gave Xander a shocked and impressed look. 

Xander had offered to put his body on the line, and Reik-Ar didn't intend on letting him down. Concentrating, he stared at Xander. Everyone else jumped, as two beams of red light came out of his eyes and engulfed Xander. Soon steam started to come of Xander, and when Reik-Ar stopped, Xander's hair, face and clothes were completely dry.

"Very good Reik-Ar, and I didn't even get singed," Xander said, nodding his head.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please step up for the Kryptonian hair dryer," Piper said as she stepped forward.

Reik-Ar glared at her, but it only lasted a second under the sweetness of her smile. Soon he was drying her off, a dopey smile on his face.

"How can Kryptonians do this?" she asked when she had stepped away and Regan Cole had stepped forward.

"You'll have to ask Doctor Harris, I don't understand the explanation. Lord Kal-El seems to, but maybe he's just being polite," Reik-Ar stated as he went from person to person, drying them off.

As those who were dry, sat down on rocks and such, hungry, but at least dry and warm, they all looked to Xander for explanation.

"For all intents and purposes, the Kryptonian physiology resembles the human physiology of the planet earth, where the rest of you, or your ancestors come from. Because of their similarity in appearance, we don't realise that the are a different species evolved from a different base species. Humans of the planet we call earth evolved from mammals, the Betazoids came from sea based lifeforms, it is so with the Kryptonians. Certain genetic traits are inherent. The special acuity visual sense, which sees more clearly than others. We have noticed other dominant traits appearing, after a long time away from the world that revolved around a red dwarf star. The ability to subvert gravity, in all effect, fly. Strength that is magnified many times over from a human. The visual accuity, as you can see, has various properties. Heat vision, laser vision and x-ray vision," Xander explained as everyone listened.

"Xander, we've about ten people coming through the caverns." Kohn-Et stated, looking at a blank wall.

"Bajoran?" Xander asked.

"Not sure," Kohn-Et replied.

"Okay people, lets give our friends a welcome, whoever they are," Xander said as he hid behind a rock, and everyone did likewise.

Part 98

"Its like shooting fish in a barrel," Buffy's voice could be heard enthusiastically over the communicator.

"Shooting fish in a barrel?" General Martok inquired of his Romulan counterpart.

"As I believe its an old Terran custom," Telar replied.

"And they call us barbaric," Martok answered.

"What is your status, Lieutenant Summers?" Picard asked.

"We've cleared Sectors 1-8, you should be able to re-institute communications with the surface any moment now," Buffy answered.

Picard gave Data a look, and received a nod in return. They had estimated two extra hours to clear up those sectors. Buffy and her team of mine sweepers were moving hard, fast and efficiently.

"Captain, we have contact with the surface established," Worf stated.

"This is Captain Picard. Does anybody read me?" he asked.

"I don't know, are you any good?" a voice asked back, causing several members of the bridge crew to crack up into helpless laughter.

"Lieutenant Harris. I trust you are well. We should have the mines cleared in the next ten hours. Do you require any assistance?" Jean Luc asked, giving the counsellor a frustrated expression, noting sourly that she was also hiding her laughter. 

"The Bajoran government has 7 Cardassian Guls and the crews of seven Cardassian crews in custody. We have two operations staging bases, in almost perfect condition in our hands, and we've captured a shapeshifter," Xander stated.

"Why do we bother taking the time to get you out of there, you seem to be doing quite well by yourself," Jean-Luc stated jokingly.

"Well, you'll miss the shindig the Bajoran government is putting on, though seeing the preparations, its looking like a hootenanny," Xander answered.

"What's the difference?" Jean-Luc asked, interrupted by three different types of laughter from subspace.

The first two were easy to guess Xander and Buffy. Although Jean-Luc wasn't completely positive, he was sure it was Willow Rosenberg. The close knit threesome had a variety of in-jokes that bemused and confused the rest of the group.

"Sorry Captain, lost my mind for a second there. Anyway, Shakaar's invited everyone down here for the party, that is, once you've cleaned up, up there," Xander said.

"So, what are you trying to tell me Lieutenant, no party until I clean up my room?" Jean Luc asked dryly as he heard hearty laughter from all areas of the fleet.

He grinned slightly, it was good to laugh after the battle they had gone through. People had died, old friends and allies, but they had won, inflicting a defeat on the Dominion that would be very difficult to overcome. It was time to celebrate, and remind themselves what they were fighting for.

"Convey to the first minister that we would be honoured to attend. Have the Dominion Busters got a formal uniform?" Jean-Luc asked.

"I'll send you the pattern," Xander replied.

"Should I be worried?" Jean-Luc asked noone in particular.

Part 99

"Leave us," Xander said as he walked into the room where the shapeshifter sat on the bench in humanoid form. 

His cell was surrounded by a specially designed force shield, that allowed it to revert to its liquid state, but made it unable to get out. There was simply no gap in the energy field.

The two Bajoran guards recognised the young lieutenant who had led the unique group of off- worlders, which had helped First Minister defeat the new Cardassian threat, capturing some of the most feared and hated Cardassian Guls ever to inflict themselves on Bajor. They immediately walked out.

"How are you feeling, do you require sustenance?" he asked kindly.

"You know little of our kind," he answered.

"We are different, understanding comes with familiarity, not with one group trying to impose its dominion on another. Your forces have been driven back to the Gamma Quadrant, and we have captured all of your allies in Cardassia. It is time to stop the fight and sit down at the conference table. We have lost many between us, soon one people will thoroughly obliterate the other, causing the loss of a unique culture that should be appreciated and valued, not destroyed," Xander said.

"You speak well, but how do you know that your culture will be the one to survive?" the shapeshifter asked.

Xander picked up a piece of rubble that had been shaken loose during the recent Cardassian attempt to take the Bajoran capital. It was a thick piece of rock. Xander tossed it at the shield. It reflected and bounced off, against the wall. Then using the Jedi powers that Xander had been taught by Qui Gonn Jinn, he walked through the force shield in the same place he had thrown the rock. The shapeshifter was as stunned as a species that didn't show emotion, could be.

"Never underestimate a talented, technologically advanced group who are determined not to become slaves. We proved that up in space and we proved that down here. You may even succeed in destroying us, but you won't ever recover from it. You'll be so weak that the next pygmy race that comes along will be able to take you out. I ask you to the negotiation tables as potential allies and friends. You do not respond to niceness, so let me just say, a lot of Founders will surely die if you push this. I know how you care little for the cultures you have subverted and enslaved, so let me assure you, we can kill you just as well," Xander said, allowing the Dark Side of the Force to have a free reign.

"How will I contact my people?" the Founder asked.

"Odo, who is one of your species, will be arriving down on the planet. You may discuss with him the ability to contact your people. You will not try to subvert him, because I will be close by at all times," Xander warned, knowing that the Founder was feeling fear, because he felt the rippling through the force.

"I understand. If we had picked up people like yourself, instead of saddling ourselves with brutal warrior drones like the Jem Had'dar, we might have won this conflict," the Founder commented.

"It would never have happened. That, which we defeated you with, would have never taken orders from you. Out creativity, our ingenuity, our willingness to find new solutions, our ability to improvise, that would have only backfired on you," Xander answered as he turned around and walked out of the force shield, allowing the Founder to see it again.

He walked out of the room without looking back, signalling for the guards to take their places.

Part 100

"Welcome Xander," Benjamin Sisko stated as the young man who had grown so much in the last two years, entered the cavern that had once housed a Bajoran holy city dedicated to the prophets. 

It had been hidden many millenia before, but with the help of the prophets, he had prevailed, locating it. It was at that point that he had accepted his destiny as Emissary of the Prophets. The battles had been won, the Dominion was quelled, and it was time for life to go on, and the people to heal.

Several groups had left, but just as many groups had stayed. The witches were creating a coven on Bajor. The immortals were creating a holy sanctuary in an abandoned Bajoran holy place. The Jedi were establishing a praxeum on Bajor to be headed up by Xander, who had resigned his commission with Starfleet. Willow had followed him, as she would lead the Bajoran coven. Already they had located many Bajorans with the necessary strength and power to learn, and those Bajorans were flocking to these schools. The fact they taught the wiccan beliefs and Jedi philosophy in conjunction with the worship of the prophets, ensured that Kai Winn and the Bajoran Vedeks accepted them.

He had heard that Xander had had a private meeting with the Kai herself, and they had come out all smiles and handshakes. Normally Ben wouldn't trust Winn as far as he could throw her, but then again, Xander had many more resources to draw on. 

Xander had requested to be allowed to enter the ancient city, and approval by the Emissary of the Prophets and Kai Winn had settled it. When the Emissary and the Kai approved of something, let no man who feared for his soul, bar the way. Xander wore a Jedi style robe in dark black, its hood up, covering his head.

"Thankyou Emissary. We have come a long way since we first met," Xander said. 

"Yes, we have. What do you seek here?" Ben asked.

"Can you feel it?" Xander asked.

Ben didn't know what he was talking about, so he closed his eyes and waited. Suddenly opened his eyes, as he felt the jolt of warm power go through him.

"I had often thought that the Prophets were Force strong creatures. This could be the reason for their non-corporeal forms. You have much power emissary, would you join the Praxeum and allow that power to be harnessed and disciplined?" Xander asked.

"I wish it," Ben replied, knowing an opportunity when he saw it.

It was only recently, he had gained some inkling about what the Emissary was, and what he could do. Maybe it was time to stop floundering around, and start training himself, for the benefit of Bajor and the Federation. 

Already, Immortals and Jedi were starting to infiltrate the UFP, weeding out the remaining Dominion spies and helpers.

"We got a long way ahead of us." Ben commented.

"I've never been one to do things the easy way," Xander replied as the two looked at each other and chuckled.

THE END 


End file.
